SPOTLIGHT 25/05/20 S. Korea cops seek journalist arrest over false spy report

[성기화 요셉]

Sky eDaily published a report that 99 Chinese spies had been arrested on the day Yoon suspended civilian rule in December

This file photo shows South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaking during a ceremony marking the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement Day against Japanese colonial rule in Seoul. (Photo: AFP)

By AFP, Seoul

Published: May 20, 2025 04:47 AM GMT

Updated: May 20, 2025 05:12 AM GMT

South Korean police said May 20 they have requested an arrest warrant for a journalist over a false report related to former president Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law.

A reporter for local news outlet Sky eDaily wrote in January in a purportedly "exclusive" report that 99 Chinese spies had been arrested by South Korean troops on the day Yoon suspended civilian rule in December.

Citing unnamed US military intelligence sources, the report claimed the spies were transferred to US military custody in Japan's Okinawa after being arrested at a facility affiliated with South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC).

The Seoul Metropolitan Police said that it has filed an arrest warrant request for the reporter, on charges of "obstruction of official duties" of the NEC.

The journalist, who has not been named by the police, is accused of publishing a "false article that disrupted" the NEC's operations, its spokesperson added, saying they expect to receive the court's decision on Wednesday.

Digital verification reporters have previously debunked the journalist's report and related content.

Both the NEC and the US Forces Korea had refuted the "Chinese spy" report.

Yoon's martial law declaration -- which he claimed was necessary to break legislative gridlock and "root out" pro-North Korean "anti-state" forces -- garnered support from extreme religious figures and right-wing YouTubers.

It has also fuelled a surge in misinformation and conspiracy theories online, with unverified content spreading unproven claims of electoral fraud and Chinese espionage.

Pro-Yoon rallies turned violent in January when extremist supporters stormed a Seoulcourthouse.

At least four of them were handed jail terms, with their charges including vandalizing the property and physically attacking members of the press and police officers.