"5.18 Was a Riot by North Korean Troops": 20-Something YouTuber Referred to Prosecutors After Earning 200 Million Won From False Videos

[Financial News] A person in their 20s who posted videos containing false information on social media, including the claim that the 5.18 Democratization Movement was a riot instigated by North Korean troops, has been referred to prosecutors.
Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 21st that it investigated YouTuber A, a person in their 20s, without detention on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on Telecommunications and other offenses, and referred the case to prosecutors.
A has been accused of posting videos from their residence since March 19 through two YouTube channels with 20,000 subscribers, spreading false information that "5.18 was a riot by North Korean troops."
A also uploaded videos containing false claims that "the Seoul Halloween crowd crush was not an accident that happened by chance, but a meticulously staged event orchestrated in advance," and that "MV Sewol, too, was different from the facts previously known."
According to police, the generative AI-produced videos recorded more than 1.2 million views over roughly two months beginning in March. Police determined that A earned 250 million won through such means as receiving donations. Police applied for pre-indictment preservation of confiscation, and the application was fully granted. 
A police official said, "Freedom of expression is guaranteed, but spreading false information can go beyond simply offending victims and bereaved families. It can spread a distorted understanding of history and cause social confusion." 

[email protected] Baek Chang-hoon Reporter