Clips show protests calling for South Korean president's resignation, not anti-war rallies
- Published on November 18, 2024 at 04:20
- 5 min read
- By Tommy WANG, Hailey JO, AFP Hong Kong, AFP South Korea
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
"In Seoul, South Korea, a massive demonstration involving millions of people unfolds with great intensity. The passionate crowd takes to the streets, their voices echoing through the city," read part of the caption to an X video shared on October 20, 2024.
According to simplified Chinese text overlaid on the video, the protesters are chanting "We don't want to be the second Ukraine!" and "We don't want to be cannon fodder for the United States!"
"The issue of US military presence in South Korea is like a time bomb," the text overlay adds, referring to the approximately 28,500 US troops based in Washington's regional security ally (archived link).
The video, which comprises several clips of marching protesters, was also shared alongside similar claims elsewhere on Weibo and Douyin, where they were viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
The video was shared after North Korea amended its constitution in October 2024 to define the South as a "hostile" country and blew up roads and railways that once connected the two countries (archived link).
Pyongyang's fraying ties with the South has coincided with a stronger relationship with Russia, which has deepened since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Responding to the countries signing of a mutual defence agreement in June, the US State Department told AFP the "deepening cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is a trend that should be of great concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula" (archived link).
The clips circulating online, however, do not show anti-war protests in South Korea.
Anti-Yoon rallies
A keyword search for social media accounts credited at the bottom of the falsely shared video led to the same footage uploaded to Douyin that was described as showing rallies against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The first and last clips in the falsely shared video correspond to footage shared on Douyin on October 15.
"Impeachment procession heading to Yongsan," reads the yellow Korean-language text overlay, referring to the district in Seoul where the presidential office is based.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely shared X video (left) and the video shared on Douyin in October 2024 (right):
Images of the protest -- which took place on September 28 -- were used in local media reports here, here and here (archived links here, here and here).
According to a report published by The Korea Herald newspaper on the same day, thousands of people in Seoul rallied to call for President Yoon's resignation (archived link).
The report said a coalition of left-wing groups blamed Yoon for tensions on the Korean Peninsula and economic strains.
The second clip used in the falsely shared video matches footage uploaded to Douyin on October 5.
Its caption says it shows a "mass demonstration on South Korean streets calling for the president to resign".
Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely shared X video (left) and the Douyin video shared in October 2024 (right):
Banners seen in the falsely shared clip match up with those seen in a protest held on October 5, and livestreamed on YouTube (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the flags and banner shown in the Douyin video (left) and the YouTube livestream (right), with corresponding features highlighted by AFP:
According to local media, protesters had demanded the resignation of President Yoon and for first lady Kim Keon Hee to be investigated by a special prosecutor (archived link).
The rally was held after Yoon vetoed bills passed by the opposition-controlled legislature that called for an independent probe into allegations surrounding the military's investigation into a marine's death during a search mission in July 2023 and a separate investigation into allegations surrounding the first lady (archived link).
The Yonhap News Agency reported that the proposed probes sought to investigate allegations the presidential office and defence officials had "inappropriately interfered" in the military's investigation, and allegations the first lady was involved in manipulating stock prices, had illegally received a luxury bag, and interfered with the ruling party's candidate nominations ahead of a general election earlier in the year.
Slogans chanted during the October 5 march made no mention of Ukraine or the United States.
AFP has debunked other misinformation shared in Chinese social media posts about the Korean peninsula here and here.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
