Introduction
In the midst of the political turmoil in South Korea, a doctored photo of the supposed mug shot of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has gone viral. The image spread like wildfire on social media platforms such as Facebook, sending waves of reactions, with some users expressing satisfaction over the "humiliation" depicted in the picture of the suspended leader. However, investigations have revealed that the image is a doctored composite, not an official mug shot.
Background
On January 15, 2025, Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on charges of insurrection, becoming the first sitting president of South Korea. His arrest was seen to be in the aftermath of a very controversial attempt by the state leader to declare martial law on the ground of fraud in the election after the opposition reaped an April 2024 parliamentary election landslide. Historic, the arrest of Yoon means that very soon, the mug shot and personal details will go public.
But just days after the detention of Yoon, an image with the accompanying caption "Prisoner number 0010, head of insurrection" circulated on Facebook and elsewhere. The picture of a man in a prison jumpsuit purportedly showed Yoon in his cell. Some of them referred to the red tag as a proof that he was a death-row prisoner, hence a victim of imminent execution.
False Claims and the Real Story
An image widely shared online displays what is purportedly a real mug shot. The authorities and fact-checkers quickly falsified the picture as not a real mug shot. On January 22, 2025, police in South Korea told AFP that no official mug shot of President Yoon was made available. In fact, according to the authorities, because he already possesses highly visible images, his mug shot hardly had any likelihood of being revealed to the people.In fact, the picture was composite if viewed very closely. The picture of him in a prison garb was lifted from a 2016 South Korean crime film, Proof of Innocence, wherein actor Lee Mun-shik plays a prisoner with the number "342." A reverse image search revealed that the movie still had matched a recent photo of Yoon from The Korea Herald dated December 31, 2024, weeks before his arrest. Yoon's photo, published by Yonhap News Agency, was a file photo and not related to any criminal proceedings at the time.
Punishment for Spreading Misinformation
It is part of a wave of misinformation that has followed the controversial declaration of martial law by Yoon and his subsequent impeachment. False claims and manipulated visuals have added to political polarities within South Korea, with a public deeply divided over the president's actions.The image and its viral spread speak to the growing problem of misinformation in today's digital age. While fact-checks and public denials have been numerous, many people continue to believe in, and share, fabricated content driven by political bias or a desire to see leaders humiliated.
Why the Image Was Created
Such fake images are created and distributed for many purposes, ranging from creating division and confusion to creating viral content that may benefit a particular political faction. In the case of Yoon's arrest, detractors who were quite vocal against his moves, especially his attempt at martial law, found satisfaction in the misleading portrayal of him as a prisoner. A common driver behind such misleading content is the desire for political retribution.How to Identify and Combat Misinformation
One should rely on credible news sources, verify the authenticity of images through reverse image searches, and report manipulated content when encountered. Social media platforms also have a responsibility to help curb the spread of misinformation by implementing stricter checks on content shared by users.Conclusion
The mug shot of Yoon Suk Yeol becomes another example of how visuals mislead during politically charged times. In the aftermath of impeachment and legal wrangling in South Korea, being vigilant and critical becomes paramount for everything that crosses one's screen online. We are all capable of limiting the hurtful effects such disinformation can cause with the proper tool of fact-checking and skepticism at our disposal.