Trump's South Korean trip did not include clandestine trip to see jailed president

"This is an official White House photo taken when President Trump went on a secret trip to the gates of the Seoul Detention Center to visit President Yoon Suk Yeol," reads part of the Korean-language caption of an image shared on Facebook on November 4, 2025.

The image appears to show Trump raising his fist in front of a crowd near the entrance of the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon has been held since his arrest earlier this year (archived link).

Its caption adds that "[The] Lee Jae Myung government threatened not to pay tariffs if Trump proceeded with the meeting," and claims the visit was postponed due to Trump's "tight schedule" for the US-China summit (archived link).

The post builds on weeks of pleas from Yoon's supporters, who had publicly urged Trump to visit the imprisoned ex-president during his APEC trip (archived link). 

Pro-Yoon communities have also adopted MAGA-style slogans such as "Make Korea Great Again," portraying the US president as a global ally against what they called Lee's tyranny (archived link).

When Yoon appeared in court in late October to face insurrection charges -- following explosive testimony that he allegedly planned to "capture and personally shoot" his political rivals -- his supporters renewed their calls for Trump to intervene (archived link). 

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Screenshot of the altered Facebook image captured on November 5, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The image also appeared in similar Facebook and Naver Band posts.

"It's just Trump's showmanship," read a comment on one of the posts.

Another said: "He didn't really go, but at least he tried."

But there are no official reports that Trump visited the facility during his trip to South Korea. Photos from Trump’s trip published by the White House only show him meeting with President Lee and other APEC delegates (archived link).

Misleading collage

A reverse image search and keyword searches on Google found the circulating image was created by superimposing a picture of Trump over a photo of Yoon's motorcade leaving the Seoul Detention Center.

The original photo was published by News1 on January 18, in a report about Yoon being transported to a court hearing on his arrest (archived link).

Its caption reads: "On the afternoon of the 18th, ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's pre-trial detention hearing, vehicles escorting the transport van carrying Yoon leave the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, en route to the Seoul Western District Court."

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (left) and the News1 photo of Yoon's motorcade from January 2025 (right)

Footage of the same convoy transporting Yoon was widely broadcast by local media at the time (archived here and here). 

The image of Trump matches that of a commercial cardboard cutout sold on online retailer Amazon under the title "6 Feet Donald Trump Stand Up | Cardboard Cutout | Life Size Standee | Fist to Fight" (archived link).

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Screenshot comparison of the image of Trump in the altered photo (left) and a sample image of a cardboard cutout of Trump sold on Amazon.com (right)

AFP previously debunked multiple other images and claims shared among Yoon supporters in the past purporting to show Trump expressing support for the ousted South Korean leader.