Arrest Warrant Applied for `Minerva` Suspect

Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant yesterday for a netizen who reportedly wrote economy-related articles under the pseudonym “Minerva.”

The Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing on whether to issue the arrest warrant for “Park” today.

“We sought an arrest warrant for Park, who has yielded great influence on the Internet since he has confused countless netizens by spreading false rumors. It’s also possible for the suspect to take flight,” a prosecutor said.

According to prosecutors, Park is suspected of posting “Urgent Official Document Sent by the Government” and spreading groundless rumors that the government sent urgent official documents to the nation’s seven largest financial institutions and major exporters and importers ordering them not to buy dollars under his pen name “Minerva” Dec. 29.

Prosecutors said Park is the real Minerva among those who have used the pen name on the Internet. “Other netizens using the pen name Minerva just impersonated the real Minerva. Followers of Minerva even picked out the articles written by the real Minerva and created a collection of Park’s articles,” one prosecutor said.

Park is known to have used two IPs at his home in central Seoul to post his articles on the Internet. He has acknowledged that he wrote all memos and materials found at his home.

Lawmaker Lee Jong-geol and former lawmaker Mun Byeong-ho, both of whom belong to the legal support team of the Democratic Party, will provide free legal help for Park.

myzodan@donga.com dnsp@donga.com