South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has defended his failed martial legislation bid by rehashing baseless claims of voter fraud, triggering a recent wave of misinformation on-line concentrating on the Nationwide Election Fee (NEC). A right-wing South Korean information outlet printed a video containing three photos with a false declare that they present Chinese language spies arrested by martial legislation troops at a facility affiliated with the NEC who had been then transferred to US army custody. The images truly depict Chinese language fishermen detained by the South Korean coast guard in 2016, and US and South Korean authorities individually informed AFP the declare is false.
Sky eDaily printed the video on YouTube with a title that says “99 Chinese language nationals” had been arrested and brought to a US army base in Japan.
A voice-over within the clip mentioned troops raided the NEC Election Coaching Centre, made the arrests and handed them over to US forces on December 3, 2024 — the identical day Yoon declared martial legislation earlier than lifting it hours later.
“A US army supply accustomed to the matter has confirmed to Sky eDaily that every one 99 arrested Chinese language spies had been transferred to a US army base in Okinawa, Japan,” it went on to say, including that the suspects “confessed to election interference.”
The clip additionally contained three photos purportedly displaying the “spies” who had been arrested. The video has amassed greater than 90,000 views.
Sky eDaily seems to have edited the clip to vary the voice-over and take away the photographs after it was initially printed on January 16, 2025. The outlet printed a Korean-language article the identical day — labelled as “unique” — with the identical declare.
Screenshot of Sky eDaily’s video taken January 21, 2025
One in all Yoon’s legal professionals talked about Sky eDaily’s report throughout a January 16 impeachment listening to on the Constitutional Court docket, saying it exhibits there’s “suspicion” of Chinese language interference.
Yoon’s failed try at martial legislation in December 2024 touched off a political disaster in South Korea, the place democracy had been assumed to be firmly anchored.
He defended his choice to deploy troopers to the NEC premises as a part of the martial legislation order. He additionally rehashed unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud — lengthy circulated amongst far-right conspiracy theorists in South Korea — triggering a surge of misinformation on-line concentrating on the electoral physique (archived hyperlink).
The fee has denounced the transfer as “unlawful,” “unconstitutional” and a menace to democracy.
The video has circulated elsewhere on YouTube alongside the photographs, whereas false claims about arrests have unfold on X, Fb and the South Korean discussion board Naver Weblog.
Some customers appeared to imagine they had been real pictures of Chinese language spies arrested by South Korean and US authorities.
“We should always lower off diplomatic ties with China. They’ve shaken the muse of our nation,” one person wrote.
“The report is just too particular to name it pretend or inaccurate,” one other commented.
Nevertheless, they had been printed years earlier than Yoon’s martial legislation announcement.
2016 pictures
Reverse picture and key phrase searches on Google and Naver traced the pictures again to pictures printed by South Korean retailers Yonhap Information Company and News1 in October and November 2016.
Native information outlet New1 printed the primary photograph on October 12, 2016 with a caption saying it confirmed “crew members of Chinese language fishing vessels that operated illegally” within the West Sea being escorted to the Incheon Coast Guard’s dock (archived hyperlink).
The caption additionally talked about two 100-ton Chinese language fishing boats that trespassed right into a restricted space had been seized by the Coast Guard the night time earlier than.
The West Sea, formally generally known as the Yellow Sea, is located between the Korean peninsula and China.
Yonhap Information Company launched the second image on the identical day with the same caption stating the crew members of Chinese language fleets apprehended by the Coast Guard had been present process quarantine on the dock (archived hyperlink).Â
News1 launched the third photograph on November 2, 2016 with a caption saying it confirmed Chinese language fishermen arrested for suspected unlawful fishing within the Yellow Sea (archived hyperlink).
Screenshot comparisons of the photographs seen within the false video (L) and their unique context
The arrests of the Chinese language fishermen adopted warnings from the South Korean Coast Guard in October 2016 of a “extra aggressive” firearms coverage towards Chinese language fishing boats illegally working in its waters following a conflict that sank one in all its vessels (archived hyperlink).
False report
A consultant from the US Forces Korea informed AFP on January 20 that the claims in Sky eDaily’s report are “completely false.”
A NEC spokesperson additionally informed AFP on January 17 that the arrest operation hearsay is “utterly not true,” as no Chinese language nationals had been current on the coaching centre on December 3, 2024.
She mentioned 96 individuals had been on the facility that night time for a coaching program — 88 fee staff and eight instructors.
The fee additionally rejected the false declare in a press release launched January 17 (archived hyperlink).
AFP has beforehand debunked claims associated to the declaration of martial legislation in South Korea.
