PAALALA PARA SA MGA TAGA KOREA ABOUT RADIATION ISSUE

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean police on Wednesday were tracking down the source of a false radiation alarm that spread nationwide earlier this week through text messages and social networking websites, officials said, amid growing fears of radioactive crisis unfolding from Japan's quake-stricken nuclear plant.

The groundless claims that dangerous radioactive elements were about to land on the Korean Peninsula from crippled Japanese nuclear plants in Fukushima also warned people not to get wet in the rain or expose their skin to the air, officials at the National Police Agency (NPA) said.

The false rumors were circulating even though a Seoul government official said that South Korea has yet to detect abnormal radiation levels on its soil. A nuclear emergency response team has been checking radiation levels across the country since the March 11 earthquake and ensuing risks of radiation leaks.

"Depending on the purpose (of the source who) sent this kind of message, (he or she) can be a subject of criminal punishment," said Seo Hyun-soo, chief of the NPA's Cyber Terror Response Center. "At this moment, we are focusing our investigation on finding out who first spread the message."

Under South Korea's communications law, those who spread groundless rumors through text messages to create fear or social unrest can be jailed for up to one year or fined a maximum of 10 million won (US$8,836).

The cyber unit will keep an eye on major SNS sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to determine whether groundless rumors about Japan's nuclear crisis mislead the general public and cause false alarm, Seo noted.

Politicians also tried to brush off the possibility of the nation's exposure to radiation from its quake-stricken neighbor.

"With radiation fears spreading, the government should provide customized aid for Japan and promptly respond to the effects on our nation at the same time," Ahn Sang-soo, leader of Grand National Party, said in a senior party members' meeting. "We have to block groundless rumors and conduct thorough inspections to calm public fears."


BY yoNHAP