Photo shows South Korean war hero’s grave under construction, not 'vandalised', cemetery says

The image was shared here on Facebook on February 19, alongside a Korean-language claim it shows "the grave of General Paik Sun-yup, the saviour of our country, dug up by leftist communists", referring to South Korea's first four-star general credited with several major victories during the 1950-53 Korean War.

It shows a sand-covered grave with a wooden marker that says "Army General Paik Sun-yup" in front of rows of comparatively neater tombs.

The text seen below the image reads: "Site of General Paik Sun-yup's grave desecrated. This is the communist country that Moon has dreamed of. This is a shocking reality, it is unfathomable that the grave of General Paik, the nation's hero, has been dug up like this. Is this what Moon and his bastard cronies so wanted?" 

While Paik was hailed by many -- including the US military -- as a war hero, he was also a highly divisive figure in South Korea primarily due to his collaboration with Japanese colonisers during their rule over the peninsula (archived link). 

Following his death at the age of 99 on July 10, 2020, controversy ensued over the South Korean government's decision to inter him at the Daejeon National Cemetery, with some lawmakers of then-President Moon Jae-in's party arguing Paik did not deserve a place in the national cemetery for his pro-Japanese past (archived links here and here). 

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Screenshot of the false claim shared on Facebook captured on February 22, 2024

The same photo was shared alongside a similar false claim in weeks following Paik's death and burial, prompting local broadcaster JTBC to publish this fact-check in September 2020 (archived link). 

The misinformation has since recirculated in Facebook groups for supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, including here, here, here and here, in the leadup to the legislative elections scheduled for April this year (archived link). 

The photo shows Paik's grave being refitted shortly after he was buried, according to a Daejeon National Cemetery spokesperson. 

'No record of vandalism'

Contacted by AFP on February 21, the spokesperson said the wooden plaque placed in front of the mound indicated the photo was taken in the early weeks following Paik's burial when the grave "was being refitted with a stone platform to bring it in line with the other tombs at this section of the cemetery."

There is "no record of vandalism or tampering of (Paik's) grave" since he was buried, he said, adding that "if such an incident had happened, it would be a matter of national controversy."

The spokesperson provided AFP with a photo of Paik's grave he captured on February 21, showing it had been refitted with a gravestone matching those seen on other nearby tombs. 

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo shared in the false Facebook posts (left) and a recent photo of Paik's tomb provided by Daejeon National Cemetery (right):

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Screenshot comparison of the photo shared in the false Facebook posts (left) and a recent photo of Paik's tomb provided by Daejeon National Cemetery (right)

Photos of Paik's refitted tomb published in various local media reports from 2021 to 2023 -- including here, here and here -- also match the image provided by the cemetery (archived links here, here and here). 

JTBC's fact-check report on the false claim concluded the photo was taken on September 19, 2020, as the grave was being refitted. 

"Work was done at the cemetery from July 12 to September 17 to refit the temporary gravesites of 12 new admittees into permanent tombs which involved replacing the graves' wooden frames with marble platforms," the report read.

"During this process, grass covering the tombs is temporarily removed, and somebody appears to have taken this photo as this was work was being done, giving way to the false claim."

According to the report, the photo was first posted on the far-right internet forum Ilbe on September 20, 2020 under the title "General Paik Sun-yup's grave is still in this state".

AFP has not been able to independently verify where the photo was first posted, but it has circulated online since at least September 22, 2020.