South Korean police uncover online comment manipulation from influential online blogger
Investigators say the blogger and his accomplices targeted news sites and manipulated some 20,000 comments
By Kang Seung-woo
Police in South Korea say they have found opinion-rigging comments by an influential blogger and his accomplices on news articles critical of the incumbent government.
“They manipulated about 20,000 comments on 675 news articles, using 2,290 different IDs from January 17 to 18,” the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said.
It added about 2.1 million clicks were made with macro software. The automated programme enables a user to input multiple comments or likes for specific comments on news articles.
The blogger, surnamed Kim, and his partners are currently indicted over allegations that they artificially increased the number of clicks on “agree” for comments on a news article carried by the nation’s largest portal website Naver in January. The controversial article was about President Moon Jae-in’s decision to form a joint Korean ice hockey team for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February.
According to police, they were suspected of using 614 IDs to ramp up the number of clicks at the time.
The police plan to notify prosecutors of the newly found evidence so they can add them to their ongoing hearings.
