Footage of South Korea anti-govt protest in 2019 falsely linked to marine death inquiry

"Massive crowd at a protest rally on May 25, 2024 calling for a special counsel investigation into the case of Marine Chae," read a YouTube video with more than 2.5 million views.

Chae Su-geun was a marine killed in a flood relief operation in July 2023. Reports said the 20-year-old had not been given a life vest.

The military launched an inquiry into his death, which was quickly retracted after initially accusing officials of negligence (archived link).

South Korea's opposition-led parliament pushed for a bill to investigate allegations of government meddling in the inquiry.

But the legislation was vetoed by Yoon, which prompted street protests calling for an independent probe (archived link).

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Screenshot of the false post, taken on June 14, 2024

The video spread widely online, including on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, and on South Korean platforms Naver Blog, Ilbe and Jongto.net.

Comments on the posts suggested social media users believed the video showed the May protest.

"All marine veterans' associations across the country must have been up in arms," one wrote.

Another said: "So many people turned up like that and no media covered it?"

2019 protest

A reverse image search found the protest footage shared online in 2019 -- years before Chae Su-geun's death.

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper posted the footage on YouTube October 3, 2019, saying it showed conservative groups rallying that day (archived link). 

A side-by-side comparison of the video circulating in false social media posts (left) and posted by Chosun Ilbo (right) confirms it shows the same incident. 

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Screengrab comparison of the video in false posts (L) and in Chosun Ilbo's YouTube video (R)

At the video's 21-second mark, a red banner can be seen reading "Overthrow Moon Jae-in, Arrest Cho Kuk" referring to the then-president and then-justice minister.

Red is the colour of conservative parties in South Korea.

Hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters took part in the rally on Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square calling for Cho's ouster (archived link).

Moon's approval rating hit a record low after he appointed the scandal-tainted ally, who resigned weeks later (archive link).

Furthermore, the rally on May 25, 2024 took place near Sungnyemun Square, not Gwanghwamun Square. The two locations are about 1.8 kilometres (one mile) apart.

AFP previously fact-checked posts that shared the same video as a protest against Covid restrictions in 2020.