Prosecutors cite poor conduct, lack of forgiveness from bereaved families

A memorial message for victims of the Itaewon crowd crush [Yonhap]
A memorial message for victims of the Itaewon crowd crush [Yonhap]

Prosecutors have sought an 18-month prison sentence for a man in his 60s who repeatedly spread false claims online that the victims of the Oct. 29, 2022, Itaewon crowd crush were not real people but dummies used in a "shoddy film," posting such content 3,624 times.

The man was arrested and referred to prosecutors in May on charges of posting false content more than 3,600 times targeting victims and bereaved families of major disasters, including the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush and the 2024 Jeju Air plane crash.

At a final hearing Monday morning before Judge Kim Jin-seong of Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Division 6, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office asked the court to sentence the defendant, identified only by his surname Kim, to 18 months in prison on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

Prosecutors said they sought the sentence because "the defendant committed numerous offenses over an extended period, demonstrating poor conduct, and has received no forgiveness whatsoever from the bereaved families."

According to prosecutors, Kim posted a total of 3,624 pieces of false content between 2022 and this year on domestic online communities and platforms, including Ilbe, among them photos of Itaewon crowd crush victims.

Prosecutors said Kim had posted false content four times claiming that bereaved families of the Sewol disaster were actors, damaging their reputations. They added that "it is difficult to deny the public nature of the posts, given that they were published on online boards and blogs accessible to anyone."

Kim also posted content claiming that "the Sewol disaster was a nationwide fraud staged by conspirators" and that "the Muan airport plane crash was a scam that exploited the dead."

Kim maintained his innocence at Monday's hearing. "I feel deeply aggrieved that this trial is even taking place. I intend to contest the charges," he said, standing firm on his earlier position that "there were no deaths and there are no bereaved families."

During the police investigation, bereaved families told investigators they had "suffered severe psychological shock and humiliation from posts denying the disasters themselves," describing the harm caused by prolonged and repeated secondary victimization.

The Korean National Police Agency's Secondary Victimization Crime Investigation Division, established in July last year, referred Kim to prosecutors under arrest in May.

Kim is the third person arrested and referred to prosecutors since the division was established. Two other defendants who had repeatedly posted false content targeting bereaved families of the Itaewon crowd crush and other disasters were both sentenced to prison.

Kim's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 9.


kido@heraldcorp.com