Manipulated image of South Korean leader's T-shirt confuses social media users

Published on August 14, 2024 at 03:44
3 min read
By SHIM Kyu-Seok, AFP South Korea

Social media users have fallen for a doctored image of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol wearing a shirt with letters which spell out an insult when read upside-down. The picture was first published in a satirical Facebook group that uses altered images to criticise Yoon's administration. The original photo was in fact taken while Yoon was on a summer holiday trip on August 5 and showed him wearing a shirt without the said text.

"I can't read this English. What is it trying to say?" read the Korean-language caption shared alongside the image on Facebook on August 6.

The post showed Yoon greeting citizens while wearing a shirt that read: "Korea ILL HVV HL". The letters spell out the Korean word for "son of a bitch" if read upside-down.

Screenshot of the post with the altered image shared on Facebook, captured August 12

Identical posts were shared on Facebook here, here, here and here.

Comments left in the posts indicated that while some users understood the joke, many others appeared to believe the image was genuine and were confused as to what the letters meant or why Yoon wore such a shirt.

One user wrote: "This guy probably wore this shirt without knowing what it means."

Another said: "What is he trying to say with this shirt?"

But the original photo showed Yoon's shirt didn't contain the said expletive.

Manipulated image

A watermark on the picture's lower right corner indicated the image was first posted on August 6 in a Facebook group called "Picture protestors" (archived link).

The group describes itself as "a group of graphic designers that seek to cleanse deep-rooted evils through artwork" and uses graphic design to "satirise current events and organise online protests" (archived link).

It publishes altered images and graphics in posts critical of the Yoon administration, including posts that label him as a "pro-Japanese traitor", such as here and here (archived links here and here).

A search on South Korea's presidential office website found the original photo was published on August 5, showing the words "Korea Navy" printed on Yoon's T-shirt as he visited a local market in Tongyeong, a city located in the country's south (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the doctored image (left) and the original photo published by the presidential office (right):

Screenshot comparison between the doctored image (left) and the original photo published by the presidential office (right)

Yoon's visit to Tongyeong, which took place during his summer holidays, was widely reported in local media reports, including here and here (archived links here and here).

The government news channel also published a video report showing him wearing the same shirt with the words "Korea Navy" at the back here (archived link).

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