South Korean Unrest Conspiracy Theories Are Spread by Social Media

Every day for the past week, Kim Kwon-seop, 72, joined thousands of others gathered near the home of deposed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yul. They were determined to protect Mr. Yoon from prosecutors who wanted to detain him on mutiny charges stemming from His short-lived declaration of martial law last month.

For them, it was the opposition that committed the rebellion, and abused its majority power in the Assembly to repeatedly block Mr. Yoon’s political initiatives. For them, the opposition’s parliamentary majority was invalid Elections last April It was fake. For them, protecting Mr. Yoon was synonymous with protecting South Korea from “North Korean minions” who had taken root in every corner of their society, from the judiciary to the schools to the media.

South Koreans typically dismiss such conspiracy theories as little more than online demagoguery spread by right-wing YouTubers with the help of social media algorithms. But amid the country’s entrenched political polarization, it has fueled unrest over Mr. Yoon’s situation, prompting ardent believers like Mr. Kim to take to the streets in large numbers, demanding the president’s return to office.

“When I leave home to attend this rally every day, I tell my wife that this may be the last time she sees me alive, because I am ready to die for my cause,” Kim said. “It’s not just about protecting President Yoon. It’s about saving my country for the sake of my grandchildren.”

If President-elect Donald J. Trump supports the “Make America Great Again” movement, Mr. Yoon has “Taegukji Budae(Literally, “National Flag Brigade”). It consists mostly of older, church-going South Koreans who enliven their marches with patriotic songs, a wave of South Korean and American flags in support of their country’s alliance with Washington, and scathing attacks on the country’s leftist politicians, Who fear them and hand over their country to China and North Korea

“We won!” Mr. Yoon’s flag-waving supporters screamed on Friday when investigators said I backed away from Presidential headquarters after failing to submit a judicial warrant for his arrest for questioning.

“Yon Suk-yeol is relying on the South Korean version of MAGA to cling to power,” said Ahn Byung-jin, a political science professor at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.

Mr. Yoon stoked the fear and indignation of the right when he declared martial law on December 3 to “eliminate the despicable pro-North Korean, anti-state forces in one fell swoop.” But his attempt to put his country under military rule for the first time in 45 years only lasted hours. The opposition-dominated National Assembly later voted to abolish it isolation.

After being suspended from office, Mr. Yoon now faces a trial in the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether he will be formally removed. He is also under separate investigations from prosecutors, who have accused him of committing rebellion when he ordered troops to seize Parliament and detain his political enemies while martial law was in place.

With public polls showing that a majority of South Koreans want to oust him, Mr. Yoon’s staunchest defenders are his flag-waving supporters and right-wing YouTubers, who glorify him as… Alliance Promotion Champion With Washington. These YouTube users, some with about a million subscribers, are demanding Mr. Yoon be reinstated and are livestreaming rallies in support of Mr. Yoon, with speakers calling efforts to remove him a “coup” at the behest of North Korea. It also enhances Political polarization By directing conspiracy theories against Mr. Yoon’s progressive enemies.

Right-wing YouTubers have long boasted of their friendship with Mr. Yoon, after inviting dozens of them to his inauguration in 2022. In the wake of failed martial law, Mr. Yoon has left little doubt that he is a huge fan of his.

“I am watching your struggle in real time through YouTube live,” Mr. Yoon said in a message to supporters gathered outside his home on New Year’s Day. He added: “Our country is in danger because of anti-state forces that are wreaking havoc, as well as internal and external forces that are violating our sovereignty.”

During a rally on Wednesday, Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer who serves as Mr. Yoon’s spokesman, said, Thank right-wing YouTubers There he described investigators trying to arrest Mr. Yoon as a “front” for the opposition.

“This is war,” he said. “And you are warriors.”

Like other democracies, South Korea has grappled with the role of social media in shaping politics. About 53% of South Koreans say they consume news on YouTube, a higher percentage than the 30% average in the 46 countries surveyed, according to a 2023 report by the Korea Journalism Foundation. ​

Analysts worry that algorithm-fueled information bubbles, where people are constantly presented with more of the kind of content they have expressed interest in watching, are helping to divide the nation. The language and conspiracy theories adopted by Mr. Yoon and his supporters mirror those advanced by right-wing YouTubers, said Hong Sung-gook, a former lawmaker and columnist.

“Yoon Ho is likely to be the world’s first rebellion incited by algorithm addiction,” Mr. Hong said.

Dozens of participants in a recent pro-Leon rally interviewed for this article were all staunch believers in conspiracy theories, saying right-wing YouTubers were their main or sole source of news.

“They are speaking the truth,” said 72-year-old Kim Jae-seong. I no longer read newspapers or watch television. “They are full of prejudice.”

Kim Young-sun, 70, took out his damaged smartphone to show a video depicting progressive leaders as bent on undermining South Korea’s alliance with the United States and colluding with North Korea and China, viral content created by the populist right. wing pastor, Rev. John Kwang Hoon.

In 1980, Chun Doo HwanThe leader of the junta that ruled the country at the time justified the imposition of martial law by citing threats from “North Korean puppets” and “dangerous elements” at home.

As his political problems deepened in the aftermath Scandals and disasterMr. Yoon has sided more openly with the far-right political right. He accused unfriendly journalists of publishing ““fake news” He described his political enemies as subscribing to “communist totalitarianism.” He even appointed a right-wing YouTuber as head of the Center for Training Government Officials.

​Long before Mr. Yoon declared martial law, some right-wing YouTubers urged him to take such action to deal with his domestic enemies. They have spread too sinophobia, Insinuating that China was secretly manipulating South Korea’s internal politics, including its elections. His supporters’ rallies are often launched with calls to “expel the Chinese.” Mr. Yun raised fears of Chinese spies while defending martial law.

Mr. Yoon and right-wing YouTubers also argue that South Korea’s election results are no longer trustworthy. Yeon’s supporters often carry signs reading “Stop the Steal,” a term popularized by people in the United States who have falsely claimed that the vote count in the 2020 presidential election against Mr. Trump was tampered with.​ Shin Eun-joo, 52, said she believes the theory Voter fraud, citing YouTube as its source.

Police and prosecutors, as well as electoral authorities, have long dismissed these allegations as unfounded. But when Mr. Yoon declared martial law, he also sent troops to the National Election Commission to investigate allegations of voter fraud. Prosecutors said military officers involved in issuing the martial law decree were instructed to confiscate the commission’s computer servers, detain, tie and blindfold top election observers and take them to an underground military bunker for questioning about election fraud. (Martial law ended before any computers were confiscated or people were taken away.)

Mr. Yoon and his lawyers have not commented on specific allegations, and have generally denied the allegations of insurrection, describing his actions as the legitimate exercise of presidential authority.

“The president is clearly out of his mind over bizarre conspiracy theories about voter fraud while watching low-quality YouTube channels,” said Cho Jap Ji, a prominent conservative journalist.

Mr. Yoon’s lawyer, Yoon Kap Keun, said the allegations of election fraud were strong and divisive enough to merit investigation.

Google Korea said it moderates YouTube content according to its community guidelines.

Ironically, it was YouTube too This helped spread news of Mr. Yoon declaring martial law on the night of December 3, prompting citizens to rush to the National Assembly to delay the troop advance and buy time for opposition lawmakers to vote on martial law.

“It was a struggle between the different roles of the algorithms,” Mr. Hong said. “Algorithms help information spread quickly, but they also help make you a slave to it.”