South Korean police say no reports of a Chinese public security officer operating in Seoul
- Published on November 28, 2025 at 06:25
- 2 min read
- By Hailey JO, AFP South Korea
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As anti-China sentiment intensified in South Korea, a video was shared in posts that falsely claimed it showed a Chinese public security officer directing traffic and pedestrians in Seoul. Footage of the purported officer, however, circulated in the days after Halloween celebrations in posts calling him a cosplayer. South Korean police told AFP they received no reports of any Chinese officer operating in the area, and details of the man's uniform indicate it is not authentic.
"Chinese public security officer controlling traffic in Hongdae," reads Korean-language text superimposed on a Facebook reel shared on November 24, 2025, referring to an entertainment district in western Seoul known for its bars, clubs and nightlife.
The 12-second clip, which has been viewed tens of thousands of times, appears to show a police officer directing traffic and pedestrians on a busy street.
A red and blue sash draped across his upper arm features the emblem of China's Ministry of Public Security and Chinese phrases including "Public security stationed in South Korea" (archived link).
The name of the youth group "Wings of Freedom", which backs ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol and promotes unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud, is shown above the video along with the Trump-esque slogan "Make Korea Great Again" (archived here and here).
Similar footage was shared on Instagram, and screenshots from the video also circulated there as well as on Nate Pann.
"Chinese cops, get lost and go back to your country!" read a comment on one of the posts.
Another asked: "Why didn't Koreans even say anything after seeing something like this?"
The posts surfaced as anti-Chinese sentiment intensified in South Korea, with street demonstrations, boycott campaigns and highly polarised online commentary prompting Beijing's embassy to warn its nationals to "remain cautious" while visiting the country (archived link).
But the Seoul Metropolitan Police and the Mapo District Police -- responsible for policing the Hongdae area -- told AFP on November 26 that they had not received any reports about a Chinese public security officer operating in the area.
'Halloween cosplayer'
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to similar clips circulating on Chinese video-sharing platforms Douyin and Bilibili (archived here and here).
According to these posts, the clips show a "Halloween cosplayer" in South Korea.
A subsequent keyword search on YouTube found footage of the purported Chinese public security officer in a longer video documenting Halloween in Hongdae on the night of October 31 (archived link).
The person filming the video noted that the man was cosplaying and said it was funny how committed he was to the act, directing pedestrians as if he were a real officer.
In the video, the streets were packed with people in a wide variety of costumes, including characters from anime and popular TV shows as well as people with horror makeup. South Korean police officers in navy and neon yellow uniforms can also be seen patrolling the area.
Details on the purported Chinese public security officer's uniform, visible in a clearer video posted on Douyin, show a badge on his chest that reads "master" in Korean (archived link). On genuine uniforms, the patch displays the name of the officer's affiliated region (archived link).
AFP found imitation uniforms are readily available on Chinese e-commerce sites (archived here and here).
AFP has previously debunked several false claims circulating in South Korea of purported Chinese infiltration and anti-China misinformation.
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