Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan has filed criminal complaints against several YouTubers over false claims that oil stored in Ulsan was diverted to North Korea.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday that Kim reported the operators behind three YouTube channels — Jeon Han-gil News, Jeolla U-Turn and TV Liberty Daily — to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The charges include defamation by false information and obstruction of business through the spread of false claims.
The ministry had already dismissed the allegations a day earlier, saying they were entirely unfounded.
“Exploiting a national crisis for personal or political gain cannot be tolerated,” Kim said. “Fake news disrupts social order and undermines efforts to overcome national challenges. We will respond firmly.”
The controversy surfaced after it was confirmed that a foreign company had sold around 900,000 barrels of crude oil stored at the Ulsan reserve under an international joint stockpiling arrangement.
Unverified claims then spread online, suggesting the oil had been diverted to North Korea. The ministry said there was no factual basis for such claims.
The oil was part of a commercial transaction conducted overseas and had no link to inter-Korean activity.
The ministry has also begun an audit of the Korea National Oil Corp., focusing on its response to the transaction.
Authorities are looking into why the state-run company did not immediately exercise its right of first refusal — a...
Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan has filed criminal complaints against several YouTubers over false claims that oil stored in Ulsan was diverted to North Korea. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and ...