AI video targets top secretary to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung
- Published on October 21, 2025 at 10:48
- 2 min read
- By SHIM Kyu-Seok, AFP South Korea
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's secretary Kim Hyeon-ji has faced scrutiny over personal ties to the leader, but a video circulating on social media purportedly showing football fans mocking her is AI-generated. The clip bears a watermark for OpenAI's tool Sora and has no resemblance to any real event.
The video, shared October 12, 2025 on Facebook, appears to show thousands of spectators holding blue and white placards forming the phrase, "Who is Hyeon-ji?" The crowd also apparently chants the same phrase in unison.
The question appears to reference rumours that spiked in October about Kim Hyeon-ji, a longtime aide to the South Korean president who was recently appointed Lee's personal secretary. Baseless claims allege she is either Lee's mistress or related to North Korea's former leader, Kim Jong Il.
The opposition People Power Party and several right-wing outlets have described Kim as an influential "hidden figure" in the administration, with her recent decision to skip parliamentary hearings further fuelling the rhetoric (archived here and here).
The video was widely shared on Facebook, X and Threads, with comments indicating many people believed it depicted a genuine scene. Some posts featured a similar clip showing a lighted drone display spelling out, "Who is Hyeon-ji?"
"Young people sure are witty and well organised," one commenter wrote under a post viewed thousands of times.
Another added, "See how Lee Jae Myung is laughed at by so many people. He should step down now."
However, the circulating clips bear watermarks reading "Sora" -- OpenAI's text-to-video AI model.
According to OpenAI's official page, Sora can create highly realistic, minute-long videos from text prompts, including simulated crowds and environments (archived link).
The clip also contains several visual artefacts indicative of AI generation, including the movement of the placards held by the crowd, which shift in colour and size too smoothly for human execution.
Other visual anomalies -- including floating panels and irregular crowd motion -- are visible upon closer inspection.
A separate keyword search found no South Korean sports broadcasters, news outlets, or event organisers have reported any such live display.
AFP has previously debunked multiple false claims surrounding Lee and his allies, including AI-generated videos.
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