Digitally altered photo misleads on Trump’s response to South Korea presidential election

"As soon as [Lee Jae-myung] was inaugurated as president, 'Yoon Again' was spotted on Trump's cellphone," reads part of a Korean-language Facebook post shared on June 5.

"It means President Yoon is still the only leader Trump accepts."

A photo attached to the post appears to show US President Donald Trump holding up a phone with "Yoon Again" displayed on its screen; the slogan was adopted by impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol's supporters who believe his removal from office was illegitimate (archived link).

The posts were shared a day after Lee won South Korea's snap presidential election by a large margin, ending months of political unrest triggered by Yoon’s imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment (archived link).

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Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on June 5, 2025

The same doctored image and claim were widely circulated in Facebook groups backing Yoon and other conservative figures in South Korea, as well as on far-right forum Ilbe.

"President Trump will correct the results of South Korea's presidential election as he seems to have watched it closely," read a comment on one of the posts.

Another said: "Trump is the only ally to President Yoon still standing, let's put our trust in him."

As of June 6, Trump had not called the new South Korean president, with analysts saying any further delay may signal reluctance on the US president's part to engage with the new leader (archived link). 

The circulating image, however, has been altered.

Doctored phone screen

A keyword search found the circulating image was altered from a photo taken by AFP photographer Saul Loeb on May 30 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, as Trump disembarked from Air Force One.

Trump's phone lock screen in fact shows a picture of the president pointing forwards, not a message of support for Yoon.

The date displayed on the phone screen also reads "May 30" -- four days before South Korea's presidential election.

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Screenshot comparison of the altered image shared on Facebook (left) and the AFP photo (right)

According to reports by MSNBC and Euronews, the image of Trump's phone screen was widely discussed on social media, with his supporters praising the president and his critics calling him "self-absorbed" (archived here and here).

Another photo taken by Loeb also shows Trump's phone screen did not display a message of support for Yoon.

AFP has debunked multiple false claims about Trump's supposed opinion on South Korea's impeached president.