Police investigate man who called car accident victims 'tomato juice,' offensive online posts

Police began an investigation Friday into offline and online messages that ridicule or defame victims of Monday's car accident near Seoul City Hall that took nine lives.

A note left at the site of the Seoul City Hall accident carries insulting and defamatory remarks in this photo taken from an online community website on Thursday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Police began an investigation Friday into offline and online messages that ridicule or defame victims of Monday's car accident near Seoul City Hall that took nine lives.

The Seoul Namdaemun Police Precinct announced that it is investigating a man in his 20s on charges of defamation of the deceased from the Seoul City Hall accident. The man is suspected of leaving a note with insulting and defamatory remarks regarding the victims near the scene of the accident at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The note left by the man read, “I pray for the peace of those who have been turned into tomato juice.” He turned himself over to police on Thursday after the note drew fire online and was reported by various local media outlets. Police have so far investigated the circumstances surrounding the note written by the man.

“We will continue to investigate the exact motive for the crime and how it was committed,” an official from the Seoul Namdaemun Police Precinct said.

However, police said that other notes containing messages using emojis and informal language left at the site of the accident were not subject to investigation. Another note left at the site said, “Rest in peace, you all. I’m angry that something like this happened in the middle of Seoul, but I still came from far away to leave this message! You’ve all had a hard time but I’m rooting for you in your next life.” The message was written in informal Korean and had heart emojis added to it.

Police are also considering whether to punish ridicule and abusive messages about the accident victims posted online. The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it has begun an internal investigation into three cases of insulting online posts posted to three online community websites. The posts subject to the internal investigation reportedly referred to the Seoul City Hall accident as “bowling day.”

Secondary offense and defamation of the deceased can be punished under the Information and Communications Network Act. The charge of insult is punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 2 million won ($1,440), and the charge of defamation is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million won. Defamation by stating false information is punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

The fatal car accident that took nine lives and left seven more injured took place at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday near Seoul City Hall, when a 68-year-old driver accelerated the wrong way down a one-way street and plowed through pedestrians and the guardrails of the sidewalk before colliding with two other vehicles and halting. The funeral processions for the nine victims took place on Thursday.

BY LEE BO-RAM,LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]