South Korean police apply for reporter's arrest over ‘99 Chinese spies' article
A South Korean reporter could be facing arrest over a false report alleging interference by 99 Chinese spies during former president Yoon Suk-yeol's failed martial law imposition last December.
South Korean police have requested an arrest warrant over the purportedly 'exclusive' report published in January by local news outlet Sky eDaily, claiming that the spies were arrested by South Korean and US troops at a National Election Commission (NEC) building on the same day as Yoon's martial law announcement.
The police want to investigate the reporter on charges of 'obstruction of official duties' of the NEC, with a court decision on their request expected on Wednesday, according to a report by the Agence France-Presse.
The Sky eDaily report claimed that the Chinese nationals were transferred to a US military base in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa and confessed to charges of election interference during interrogation, according to a report by Yonhap news agency.
The NEC, American forces based in
South Korea and the police have rejected the claims made in the Sky eDaily report.
Surveillance video footage from the NEC has revealed that South Korean troops did not enter the building.
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