Subtitle "Yoon Faces Death Penalty Demand" Added to Korea-Japan Summit Footage... Fake News Distributor in Her 30s Apprehended

Gwangju Police Book Suspect on Obstruction Charges

Claimed She Wanted to "Show the Contrasting Fates of Former and Current Presidents"

A distributor of 'fake news' who inserted false subtitles into broadcast footage covering President Lee Jaemyung's diplomatic schedules and events has been apprehended by the police.

According to Yonhap News on May 10, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Police Agency announced on this day that it had booked a woman in her 30s, identified as Ms. A (currently unemployed), without detention on charges including obstruction of business and violation of copyright law.

Fake news added subtitle "Yoon sentenced to death" to Korea-Japan summit meeting. Gwangju Police Agency

Ms. A is accused of producing and posting online a fake news video on January 13, in which she superimposed the subtitle, "Yoon Suk Yeol, smiles at the moment of death penalty demand... commotion in the audience," onto news footage from a domestic news channel covering President Lee Jaemyung's visit to Japan. The footage in question showed President Lee, who was visiting Japan at the time, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi playing the drums together. Ms. A edited the video to insert a subtitle at the bottom of the screen, formatted like an actual broadcast subtitle, with the text "Yoon Suk Yeol, smiles at the moment of death penalty demand... commotion in the audience," making it appear as if it were a real news segment. On the same day, news of the Korea-Japan leaders' "surprise drum duet" and the special prosecutor's demand for the death penalty for former President Yoon were both reported as major stories by most domestic media outlets.

During police questioning, Ms. A confessed to all charges, stating, "I wanted to simultaneously show the contrasting fates of the current and former presidents," and, "I made the edits just for fun." The police investigation found that, in addition to the image in question, Ms. A produced and distributed four more fake images using similar methods. She used Photoshop to create these images and testified that she continued distributing fake news after receiving positive reactions when she posted them on online communities. It was reported that as these images spread online, the broadcasting company received a flood of complaint calls. Acting on a damage report from the broadcaster, the police launched an investigation, identified Ms. A as the original creator, and apprehended her last month.

A representative of the Gwangju Police Agency stated, "Recently, the spread of fake images and videos has surged due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology," and added, "Fake news is a serious crime that can cause social confusion and undermine trust in the community, so we will respond strictly to the malicious and organized dissemination of false information."

The police plan to analyze the seized materials to investigate the possibility of accomplices and any additional offenses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.