S.Korean posts misrepresent election worker's video to spread Chinese interference narrative

"Ultimately, the black van operated by a Chinese national in an illegal transport business was the same vehicle that had been mobilised during every early-voting period," says part of a Korean-language Threads post shared on June 1.

"There's even a very high possibility that the vehicle was used to swap ballot boxes".

Attached to the post is a video and several screenshots from a Chinese-language social media post. In that Instagram post -- which was later deleted -- the user wrote their black van was "selected to transport ballot boxes" and he had "successfully completed the assignment".

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Screenshot of a Threads post captured on June 3, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

Similar posts citing the same Chinese-language post spread elsewhere on X, Threads, YouTube and the DCInside forum as South Koreans voted for provincial governors, mayors and other local offices (archived link).

As of early June 4, the ruling Democratic Party was poised to dominate the elections -- leading in all but three metropolitan races, according to official data (archived link).

The polls were widely seen as an early referendum on President Lee Jae Myung's first year in office. Lee was elected in June 2025 after months of political upheaval triggered by the declaration of martial law by his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.

The social media posts targeting the more recent election regurgitate baseless claims linking Chinese nationals to electoral and visa fraud -- allegations that AFP has repeatedly debunked.

Negative perceptions of China have existed in South Korea for years, said Park Kyung-tae, a professor of sociology at Sungkonghoe University -- with growing resentment directed at Chinese nationals residing in the country (archived link). 

The easing of tensions between Washington and Pyongyang during US President Donald Trump's first term "altered the political landscape for some segments of South Korea's far-right," Park said on June 3 (archived here and here).

The bloc then began to "increasingly adopt narratives similar to those promoted by the American far-right, while redirecting their attention toward China", he said.

'No political intention'

AFP spoke to the van driver targeted in the baseless posts, who said he deleted the videos after noticing "aggressive comments" and worrying the "controversy may grow". 

The driver, surnamed Jeong, said in a phone interview on June 2 that he is a naturalised South Korean citizen from China, and shared a copy of his Korean passport. AFP is not providing his full name due to potential privacy risks. 

He said he transported the ballot boxes during the early-voting period and posted the video on his personal social media accounts because "it felt like a meaningful duty".

"I thought I had done my job well, and I was proud to have taken part in a major event like this," said Jeong, who has lived in South Korea for nearly 20 years.

"There was no political intention behind it. I never imagined the video would turn into a political controversy".

A National Election Commission spokesperson told AFP on June 2 that a group of accredited observers, election officials and two police officers is required to accompany vehicles transporting ballot boxes from polling stations to storage facilities, as well as collecting out-of-district ballots from post offices.

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Election officials carry a ballot box to a counting centre in Seoul on June 3, 2025 after voting in the presidential election closed (AFP / Pedro Pardo)

Since 2024, South Korea has deployed thousands of police officials to observe the transportation of ballots cast outside voters' constituencies as part of efforts to strengthen public trust in the process (archived here and here). 

Jeong told AFP that two police officers and other election officials had accompanied him during his shift. 

The NEC spokesperson told AFP that "allegations of election fraud based solely on a driver's nationality are baseless".

They explained that election authorities "use commercial vehicles that are legally authorised under South Korea's passenger and freight transport laws to carry out election-related duties", and authorities ensure all vehicles are insured and meet required standards (archived link). 

A person's nationality has no bearing on their qualification to operate these vehicles, the spokesperson added.

AFP has previously fact-checked numerous conspiracy theories related to South Korean elections.