'May 18 North Korean involvement, Lee Jae Myung extramarital child' YouTuber Jeon Han-gil referred to prosecution

[Financial News] YouTuber Jeon Han-gil (real name Jeon Yu-kwan), a former Korean history instructor who had been under police investigation for spreading false information about President Lee Jae Myung and making claims including the theory that North Korean troops were involved in the May 18 Democratic Uprising, has been referred to the Prosecution Office.
According to police and other sources on the 2nd, the Metropolitan Criminal Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Metropolitan Investigation Unit referred Jeon to the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office on October 30 on suspicion of violating the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation), and the Framework Act on Telecommunications, among other offenses.

Jeon is suspected of spreading false information about the May 18 Democratic Uprising after claiming on his YouTube channel on April 22 that “May 18 was an insurrection led by Kim Dae-jung’s faction and North Korea.” Civic groups, including the Financial Victims’ Solidarity and Citizens’ Action for Establishing Judicial Justice (Sasehaeng), promptly filed complaints.
The May 18 Democratization Movement Act stipulates that anyone who uses information and communications networks, among other means, to spread false information about the May 18 Democratic Uprising is subject to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won. Government investigations and a Supreme Court ruling have already concluded that claims of North Korean military involvement in May 18 are baseless.
In addition, since last year Jeon has made claims in YouTube broadcasts that President Lee Jae Myung had hidden more than 1 trillion won in slush funds from the Daejang-dong project in Singapore or had an extramarital child. He is also suspected of defaming Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, by spreading false claims that Lee’s Harvard degree was fake. Separately, after Jeon alleged that crude oil stockpiled in Ulsan had been shipped to North Korea, the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC), under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), filed a complaint against him on suspicion of obstruction of business and defamation.

Police previously summoned and questioned Jeon several times, then applied for an arrest warrant in April on suspicion of violating the Information and Communications Network Act and the Framework Act on Telecommunications. The court rejected the request, saying, “It is difficult to find that there is a risk of evidence being destroyed or of flight.” Ahead of his fourth summons for questioning at the time, Jeon denied the allegations, saying, “Because there is freedom of the press, there is nothing wrong with reporting suspicions.”
Police have concluded their entire investigation into Jeon, including his remarks about May 18 and various allegations of defamation and obstruction of business investigated by the Metropolitan Criminal Investigation Unit, and transferred the case to the Prosecution Office. With the referral, Jeon is expected to face a full-fledged trial.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter