Image of S.Korea ex-president 'gloating over Yoon Suk Yeol arrest' is doctored

Published on March 4, 2025 at 02:48
3 min read
By SHIM Kyu-Seok, AFP South Korea

Former South Korean leader Moon Jae-in hailed the arrest of his successor President Yoon Suk Yeol but an image appearing to show Moon celebrating the event is manipulated. The original picture predates Yoon's short-lived martial law that plunged the country into turmoil -- and shows Moon after his election victory in May 2017.

"Traitor laughing as he displays news of President Yoon's detention," reads the Korean-language caption to the image shared on Facebook on March 2, 2025.

It appears to show Moon holding up a smartphone with a news report on Yoon's arrest on January 15 (archived here and here).

Screenshot of the false post shared on Facebook, captured March 3, 2025

Yoon's short-lived suspension of civilian rule plunged democratic South Korea into political turmoil and he was removed from office by parliament in December.

The 64-year-old has been behind bars since he was arrested on charges of insurrection, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison or even face the death penalty.

The Constitutional Court is set to determine behind closed doors whether to uphold the parliamentary vote, with a verdict expected in mid-March.

Handwritten notes seized by investigators from an ex-military commander suspected of drafting Yoon's martial law decree listed Moon and several other political figures as people to be "removed" (archived link).

The former president, who repeatedly voiced alarm over Yoon's power grab on social media, hailed the incumbent's arrest as a "victory achieved by the great alliance of ordinary people" (archived link).

The doctored image surfaced with nearly identical claims on South Korean social media platform Naver Band.

Comments indicated many users believed it was genuine.

"How can a person who was once the country's leader gloat like this over the president's arrest," one user wrote.

"Are you so happy that the country is falling to its doom, you do not deserve an ounce of respect," another said.

A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the original picture -- showing Moon holding up his phone's flashlight -- published in a Yonhap News report on May 10, 2017 (archived link).

"President-elect Moon Jae-in smiles as he watches the election results with the public at Seoul's Sejong-no Park on the night of the ninth," the caption reads.

Screenshot comparison between the altered image shared on Facebook (L) and the original photo from Yonhap News

Other news agencies present at the rally also captured Moon holding up his phone's flashlight from different angles (archived here and here).

Footage of the same gathering was also posted on the YouTube channel of WikiTree tabloid, showing Moon turning on his phone's flashlight and holding it up at the 25:10 mark (archived link).

The video shows the rally's host calling on figures onstage including Moon to turn on their phone flashlights to celebrate the victory.

AFP previously debunked misinformation targeting Moon as well as false claims surrounding Yoon's martial law bid and his subsequent arrest.

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