Old video shows South Korean singer at divorce court, not visiting detained president

Published on February 28, 2025 at 06:30
4 min read
By SHIM Kyu-Seok, AFP South Korea

A years-old video of South Korean pop star Na Hoon-a at court for divorce proceedings has resurfaced in posts viewed hundreds of thousands of times that falsely claim it shows the artist at a detention centre visiting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The video in fact combines a 2016 news clip of Na before and after a divorce court hearing with footage of protesters outside the Seoul Detention Centre, where Yoon is being held after his botched martial law attempt in December 2024.

"Yoon Suk Yeol was surprised by Na Hoon-a's visit," reads the superimposed Korean-language text on a TikTok video posted on February 23, 2025.

The 40-second video, which has been viewed 325,000 times, shows Na as he enters and exits a building while reporters attempt to question him.

The video's narration and caption claims the video shows Na "making a surprise visit" to Yoon at the Seoul Detention Centre, where the president has been held since his arrest on insurrection charges over a botched martial law attempt in December 2024 (archived link).

The video also includes footage of protesters outside the detention centre's entrance.

Na, one of South Korea's most iconic singers, retired in January 2025 after a storied 58-year career (archived link). He reportedly rebuked ruling and opposition party lawmakers during his farewell tour, sparking "sharp criticism, particularly from politicians," according to the Korea Times newspaper.

Screenshot of the false TikTok post, captured on February 27, 2025

The same video was shared elsewhere on TikTok, as well as on Instagram here and here.

But there have been no official reports of Na making a surprise visit to see Yoon at the Seoul Detention Centre.

A spokesperson for the Korea Correctional Service told AFP that detainees are allowed one regular visit a day, and all visits must be approved in advance (archived link).

Yoon's arrest on January 15 -- the first time in South Korean history a sitting president had been detained -- has triggered a wave of misinformation, some of which AFP has debunked here and here.

Divorce proceedings

A keyword search on Google found the clips of Na used in the falsely shared video correspond to footage used in a report by broadcaster MBN of the singer's visit to a court in Yeoju, Gyeonggi province, on April 26, 2016 (archived link).

The report attributes the footage to the now-defunct entertainment news outlet Focusnews.

Local media reported that Na attended the court to settle the division of his assets as part of a divorce suit filed by his wife (archived link). Their divorce was finalised in October 2016 (archived link).

Screenshot comparisons of the falsely shared video (left) and the footage published by MBN (right)

The same footage was also published by other broadcasters at the time including KBS and YTN (archived here and here).

The building that Na is shown entering also bears the South Korean court system's logo; the Seoul Detention Centre is run by the Korea Correctional Service, which has a different logo (archived link).

Logo of the South Korean court system, as seen as the 23-second mark of the falsely shared video

The other clips used in the falsely shared video appear to show protesters demonstrating in front of the Seoul Detention Centre's entrance. Similar footage of protesters outside the facility's entrance has been used in news clips here, here and here (archived here, here and here).

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