By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
The prosecution said Sunday it will investigate whether the popular Internet commentator ``Minerva'' has any accomplices, following the court's issuance of a warrant to extend the detention period.
``We are going to question him on whether he had any accomplices with whom he wrote the articles,'' a prosecutor said. The prosecution will also investigate whether he gained on any investments, he said.
Park Dae-sung, 30, claimed he posted articles, under the pseudonym ``Minerva,'' criticizing the government's economic and financial policies and negatively forecast the nation's economy. Arrested for allegedly spreading ``false rumors'' on the Internet, he faces up to five years in prison or a 50 million won fine if convicted.
The Seoul Central District Court issued the arrest warrant on Saturday for violation of electricity and communications law by spreading false information and hurting the nation's credit standing. ``There is a need to arrest him given the severity of the matter, as the case seriously affected the foreign exchange market and the nation's sovereign ratings,'' judge Kim Yong-sang said.
Minerva is accused of having spread false information on the nation's second largest portal, Daum, on Dec. 29, claiming that the government issued a statement banning major banks here from buying dollars to help stop the won's further fall against the greenback.
While being transferred to a detention center in Seoul, Saturday, Park told reporters that he wrote all the articles to help people suffering from economic difficulty.
``I posted my writing in a bid to help small business operators and ordinary citizens who sustained damage following the Asian financial crisis and who are alienated from government policies,'' Park said. ``I had a pure desire to help the socially weak but I apologize for causing confusion.''
Asked whether he felt unfairly treated during questioning, Park said, ``I don't have much to say. I wrote and answered in accordance with what I believe," adding, "I had no intent to gain economically from my writing. I therefore do not admit my guilt.''
Meanwhile, he denied that he contributed a controversial article to Shindonga magazine's December edition in which he allegedly said the Korean economy would crash before March this year and the key stock price would fall to as low as 500 points.
The arrest of Minerva, named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, is triggering a rush of online debates over whether the court's decision is appropriate. Some claimed even if the article delivered incorrect information, the court's decision is harsh enough to undermine the freedom of speech in cyber space. However, some refuted the allegation, claiming he deserves to be arrested since he destabilized the economy using his online influence.
Jeon Bae-jae, a citizen, said, ``It doesn't make sense. If we are to be arrested for a single faulty online article, all Internet users would have already been arrested.''
Another citizen, Chang Jae-hong, agreed: ``It was a hasty decision. It's still uncertain how much his articles have affected the nation's economy and credibility.''
But another citizen, Lee Myung-seok, considered his arrest appropriate, alleging, ``Minerva distributed false information with his identity sealed. Thus, his arrest is appropriate as part of efforts to boost online soundness.''
This issue divided legal circles as well. Some claim he apparently violated the law since his article created a ``groundless'' rumor. On the other hand, some legal experts allege the article in question contains his personal opinion and predictions of the economy and should not be subject to criminal charges.
``Predictions can be incorrect,'' a judge said. ``If incorrectness is criminal, President Lee Myung-bak should be punished as well for spreading false rumors because Lee vowed during his election campaign that his government will lift the Korean stock index to 3,000 points.''