By Park Si-soo
Staff reporter
Police are widening their investigation to apprehend those who spread "groundless rumors" about the sinking of the warship Cheonan.
More than 1,000 leaflets challenging the government's conclusion that the Cheonan, was torpedoed by a North Korean submarine were found in residential areas and college campuses across Seoul, police said Tuesday.
The fliers, whose producers have yet to be confirmed, commonly contain messages denouncing the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration for "capitalizing" on the tragic incident for today's elections.
Nearly 300 leaflets that claim key evidence in the Cheonan incident was manipulated were collected near a subway station in eastern Seoul, police said.
One side carries two messages "The result is a fabrication that is so ridiculous that even a puppy jeers at the scheme," and "Stop capitalizing the case for political purposes." The other side reads: "If you vote for No.1 candidates from the ruling party, a war will break out" printed on a photo of a smiling President Lee. Most candidates placed at the top of the ballot sheet are from the conservative ruling Grand National Party.
A police investigation is focusing on two people in their 20s who were spotted by surveillance cameras near Wangsimni subway station.
Dozens of leaflets with similar messages were also found in the northern and western part of Seoul in recent days, including college campuses, hospitals, department stores and shopping districts, according to police.
Similar rumors are spreading on the Internet too, with countless posts about the outbreak of an inter-Korean clash emerging in online communities. One post even said, "President Lee has ordered the military in a closed-door meeting to make full preparations to carry out a preemptive strike against the North."
The authorities called the allegations "totally groundless," claiming that anti-government activists are carrying out the illegal campaign to deal a blow to the ruling party in the elections.
"Those spreading false information about the incident could be punished," said Lee Jin-han, a senior prosecutor at the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office. "If they post either for or against a certain political party, they are subject to punishment for the violation of the Election Law."
Breaking the Election Law can result in up to two years in prison or a four million won ($3,300) fine.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense will allow 20 Internet users to inspect the broken hull of the warship to rein in skepticism about the investigation results. The ministry will announce the randomly-selected participants Friday.