On Dec. 3, the military government reported that it had captured 99 Chinese spies at the National Election Commission's election training center, and the journalist and the representative of the online media outlet involved have been handed over to the prosecution.
The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 10th that it has sent Heo, a reporter from Sky Daily, and Jo, the then-representative, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office without detention on charges of obstruction of official duties through deceptive means and violating the Public Telecommunications Basic Act.
They are suspected of obstructing the commission's official duties with false articles.
On Jan. 16, Heo reported that "the military captured 99 Chinese spies at the election training center in a joint operation with U.S. forces and handed them over to the U.S., transporting them to a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan, and during the interrogation process, they confessed to all allegations of election interference." In response, the commission reported Sky Daily and Heo to the police.
The report caused confusion among supporters of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, as it was linked to his mention of the commission when he declared martial law.
The police, who were investigating the case, applied for an arrest warrant for Heo in May; however, the court rejected it, citing legal disputes over the charges and that substantial evidence had already been collected.
The police stated, "We plan to conduct strict investigations into similar online fake news in the future."