Posts target South Korean judge with doctored Chinese flag picture

Published on February 7, 2025 at 08:14
3 min read
By SHIM Kyu-Seok, AFP South Korea

As South Korea's Constitutional Court adjudicates President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Justice Moon Hyung-bae has become the target of attacks by the country's ruling party and its supporters over his alleged ties to opposition figures. Pro-Yoon social media posts have gone further by repeatedly sharing a supposed photo of Moon "swearing an oath in front of the Chinese flag." The posts allege the image is proof of Moon's links to China, but it was doctored to replace a South Korean flag.

"Moon Hyung-bae, you've been caught red-handed swearing an oath in front of the communist Chinese flag," says a Korean-language Facebook post shared February 6, 2025.

The image appears to show Moon holding a microphone in front of the Chinese flag.

Screenshot of Facebook post, taken February 6, 2025

Moon is one of eight sitting justices who will rule on Yoon's impeachment after the president was suspended from power following a botched martial law attempt in December 2024 (archived link).

He has been the target of attacks by the ruling People Power Party and its supporters over his alleged relationship with opposition figures such as Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (archived link).

The court rebutted the claims, saying Moon's personal relationships would not affect the court's adjudication of Yoon's impeachment trial (archived link).

Similar allegations about Moon's supposed ties to China have spread in other pro-Yoon Facebook groups. Comments indicate several users believed the image was genuine.

"How can such a person be a Constitutional Court judge, he's a traitor," one person wrote.

"This shows Moon Hyung-bae is a communist, no wonder he was appointed by Moon Jae-in," another said, referring to South Korea's previous left-leaning president (archived link).

But the image is doctored.

South Korean flag

Keyword search on Google led to the original photo published by South Korean outlet Yonhap news agency on January 2 (archived link).

"Interim Constitutional Court chief justice Moon Hyung-bae delivers a New Year's address at a swearing-in ceremony for Justices Cho Han-chang and Jeong Kye-seon held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, Seoul on the morning of the 2nd," the caption says.

The unaltered image shows Moon in front of a South Korean flag.

Screenshot comparison of the altered image (left) and the original Yonhap photo (right)

Other angles captured by Yonhap and News1, another South Korean news organisation, also show the South Korean flag behind Moon (archived links here and here).

Local broadcaster SBS livestreamed his speech on January 2. The South Korean flag appears around two and a half hours into the video (archived link).

AFP previously debunked photos claimed to show a Chinese flag at a protest calling for Yoon's arrest and Chinese spies caught on South Korean soil.

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