Chinese-language flags at South Korean rally reignite baseless 'infiltration' claims

Published on March 10, 2025 at 04:58
5 min read
By Hailey JO, AFP South Korea

As South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial drew to a close, footage of protesters waving flags with Chinese characters was misrepresented in social media posts as evidence of a communist plot against the disgraced leader -- who had cited the threat of communist forces while defending his imposition of martial law. An analysis of the circulating footage and photos from the corresponding rally in Seoul show the flags were in fact referencing martial arts novels.

"South Korea is overrun by Chinese Communist forces, embedded even deeper than North Korea, colluding with traitors who have already sold out the country. This is the dire reality," reads the Korean-language caption to a Facebook video shared on February 24, 2025.

"In front of City Hall. This is not China," adds text superimposed on the video.

The post echoes impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's baseless claims communist forces have compromised South Korea's institutions (archived link).

Yoon, in defending his short-lived suspension of civilian rule, also accused unidentified Chinese individuals of flying a drone to photograph Seoul's spy agency and military facilities.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on March 10, 2025

Similar claims were shared elsewhere on TikTok, Threads, X and YouTube.

"Isn't this insane? This is an outright invasion," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "China doesn't hide its identity. Even the police have given up."

The posts circulated as impeachment hearings at South Korea's Constitutional Court, which will determine whether to uphold Yoon's removal from office, ended on February 25 (archived link). The court is expected to hand down a verdict in mid-March.

Yoon has also been detained on separate charges of insurrection, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison or even face the death penalty. He was released from detention on March 8 after the court overseeing his criminal case voided his arrest on procedural grounds -- but he remains under investigation over his declaration of martial law (archived link).

The flags shown in the videos circulating online, however, are not representative of "Chinese Communist forces", as claimed by the false posts.

Martial arts novels

A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google led to a YouTube video shared by South Korean civic group "Yoon Out Action" (archived here and here).

It shows an anti-Yoon protest march in downtown Seoul on January 25, where demonstrators called for the impeached president's ouster.

The clip shared in false posts corresponds to the 1:17:07 mark of the video, filmed near City Hall (archived link).

Screenshot comparisons of the footage shared in false posts (left) and video published by the South Korean civic group "Yoon Out Action" (right)

Photos taken by Seoul-based photographer Chung Sung-jun, who works for the US media company Getty Images, show the same flags at the Seoul rally (archived link).

An analysis of these photos shows the Chinese characters on the flags in fact spell out the names of characters in martial arts novels.

The flags also featured smaller Korean phrases, which also often draw from the novels.

One of the flags flown at the Seoul rally and visible in the falsely shared clip reads: "Kindness is repaid doubly, but grudges are repaid tenfold". The quote is attributed to the Sichuan Tang Clan, which is prominently featured in novels such as "Sichuan Tang Clan Remaster" (archived here and here).

A white-and-blue flag seen in the clip reads "Changcheon Namgung: Break through from the front! That's the Namgung Family" (archived link). The phrase appears to be taken from the South Korean martial arts fiction series "Return of the Blossoming Blade" (archived here and here).

A flag with an illustration of a flower reads "Dae Hwa San Pa: Hwasan's sword seeks to reenact not plum blossoms but 'blooming' itself". Dae Hwa San Pa, also known as the Grand Mount Hua Sect, is another family featured in the "Return of the Blossoming Blade" series (archived link).

Screenshot comparisons of the clip shared in false posts (left) and photos taken by a Getty Images photographer (right), with the flags enlarged and flipped by AFP

Another flag displays the text: "Under the demon's rule, the common people are left alone" and "Ma Do Cheon Ha: Baraya Baraya Agabaraya. Our hearts are candles; let's set this place ablaze." These quotes are drawn from the fantasy novel "SSS-Class Revival Hunter" (archived here and here).

Another flag reads "Ha Buk Paeng Ga" -- another family featured in martial arts novels -- over an illustration of a tiger (archived link).

Screenshot comparisons of the clip shared in false posts (left) and photos taken by a Getty Images photographer (right), with the flags enlarged and flipped by AFP

Earlier demonstrations calling for the president's ouster also featured banners and flags showcasing protesters' interests and hobbies (archived link).

AFP has previously debunked similar false claims about purported communist sympathisers and Chinese spies.

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