Latest news with #pro-NorthKorea
Korea Herald
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Pyongyang subway system renovated with modern conveniences
The subway system in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang has undergone a major facelift in recent years to add modern conveniences, a pro-North Korea media outlet reported Monday. "The Pyongyang subway system is embracing new changes from the 2010s through the 2020s," said the Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper based in Japan. It said remodeling was recently completed at several metro stations, including the Moranbong, Jonu and Pulgunbyol stations. With high-domed ceilings and lamps brightening the interior, the subway stations and platforms in Pyongyang seen in images on the website of the Choson Sinbo stand in sharp contrast to a Yonhap News Agency photo taken in 1992, which depicted the system as a dark underground facility without benches or electronic information boards. The latest Choson Sinbo photos showed subway platforms equipped with electronic information boards and TV monitors, with passengers reading newspapers or using smartphones on the brightly lit platforms. North Korea launched the subway service in the capital in 1973, with national founder and then leader Kim Il-sung cutting the ribbon at the first-stage inauguration ceremony at Bonghwa Station in September that year. Through three additional stages, the construction of the Pyongyang subway lines was completed in 1987, creating an underground network as deep as 150 meters that can serve as an emergency shelter resistant to nuclear attacks. Incumbent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the subway system in 2015 and issued detailed instructions to raise the ceilings, install benches and add modern conveniences, including TVs and automated ticket barriers. The Pyongyang subway system was one of the destinations visited by Vitaly Shulika, Russia's deputy internal affairs minister, when he traveled to North Korea with a ministry delegation last month. Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun also toured Puhung Station in February, along with embassy officials, expressing hope many Chinese travelers could visit and see the Pyongyang subway system to promote friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries. (Yonhap)
![[Exclusive] Moon-era inter-Korean military pact needs to be restored: spy chief nominee](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F06%2F18%2Fnews-p.v1.20250618.e7a54f7b240445ff8427fb793180d8b4_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[Exclusive] Moon-era inter-Korean military pact needs to be restored: spy chief nominee
South Korea's spy chief nominee Lee Jong-seok said he believes the now-suspended inter-Korean military pact, reached between former President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018, should be restored. According to his response to the National Assembly's questions submitted Wednesday, a day ahead of his confirmation hearing, Lee said that reinstating the pact, which was suspended by North Korea in 2023 and by the Yoon administration the next year, was "most desirable." "It is my opinion that restoring the Sept. 19 military agreement is most desirable," he said, in a written response, accessed by The Korea Herald. "But if it is not possible to restore the agreement, I think it is necessary to take commensurate measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas." Lee was also critical of Yoon's China policies. Lee said the previous administration "did not adequately manage the relations between South Korea and China, viewing China only through the lens of ideology and causing unnecessary conflicts." Lee said that when it comes to South Korea's relations with China, a key trade partner, the two countries "pursue areas of common interest." But he added that when South Korea's "national interests are infringed upon," the country needed to "take measures based on principles." Lee denied allegations, raised by some within the opposition People Power Party, of his having "pro-North Korea views." "I absolutely cannot agree with the claims that I am pro-North Korea only because I have studied North Korea and the Korean Peninsula in depth," he said. "I believe that in order to achieve denuclearization and build a lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula, one must have a deep understanding of, and insight into North Korea and the surrounding region." On North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's governing style, Lee said he took after his grandfather, Kim Il-sung. "Kim Jong-un's governing style is more in line with Kim Il-sung's in that he favors more contact with the people, on-the-ground leadership, and public meetings," Lee said. "This is different from his father Kim Jong-il who preferred to rule behind closed doors and refrained from interacting with the public." When asked about where he stands on the 2020 shooting murder of a South Korean government official by North Korean troops, Lee said he was "not aware of all the facts" as he was at the time a scholar at a policy institute. "If I am appointed as the director of the National Intelligence Service, I will look into the matter," Lee said. In 2022, the NIS filed a criminal complaint against its former director Park Jie-won, who is now a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, for allegedly destroying the spy agency's confidential materials related to the South Korean official's death. The criminal trial for Park and other high-level officials at the time is still underway. Lee awaits a confirmation hearing by the National Assembly, slated for Thursday.
AFP
03-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
South Korea election hit by misinformation
With the country set to vote on Tuesday for a new leader to replace ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over a botched martial law declaration, there has been an explosion of false claims online. AFP takes a look at some of the worst offenders: What are the claims? Many of the claims focus on foreign interference, tapping into local fears of meddling by China, or fabricating support for the conservative camp from the United States. One of the most prominent falsehoods circulating online suggested weaknesses in the overseas voter registration system, with Chinese nationals exploiting the system to cast fraudulent ballots. Image Screenshot of a false Threads post captured May 8, 2025 "Even foreigners can vote as long as they have an email address!" read one widely shared post, which AFP Fact Check debunked. Who gets targeted? Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung is a popular target for disinformation. Many claims focus on his purported allegiance to Beijing -- feeding into a long-running narrative among conservatives that casts progressive candidates as sympathetic to, or even controlled by, China. For example, photos debunked by AFP journalists showed Lee kowtowing to a Mao statue, and wearing a face mask with the Chinese flag on it. Image Screenshot of a misleading post shared on Facebook, taken December 18, 2023 Image Screenshot of a misleading claim shared on Facebook, captured March 26, 2024 This trend reflects the fact that many voters are less swayed by claims politicians are pro-North Korea, said Choi Jin-bong, a media communications professor at Sungkonghoe University in Seoul (archived link). "It's now the claim that progressives are subservient to China that resonates -- especially amid worsening US-China tensions," he told AFP. "Even when false, these narratives remain politically useful to conservatives as a last-ditch effort to blunt what looks like an inevitable Lee victory." What about the conservative candidate? The disinformation involving South Korean conservatives tends to focus on their ties to the United States. Doctored images have shown Trump supporting former prime minister Han Duck-soo's presidential campaign announcement. Image Screenshot comparison between the doctored image shared on Facebook (L) and the photo published by The Washington Post Han since dropped out of the race, after a failed bid to become the conservative People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Another claim involved a popular right-wing YouTuber falsely telling his 1.5 million subscribers that the Pentagon had endorsed PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo. US Forces Korea told AFP it was "completely untrue". Image Screenshots from the YouTube channel Shin In-gyun's Defense TV But even if they are patently false, the claims "remain persuasive because they benefit political actors", Lee Jun-han, a politics professor at Incheon National University, told AFP (archived link). "They tap into Korea's polarised landscape and its geopolitical anxieties, rallying each side with narratives that play on fear, identity and outside influence." What about AI? In April, a deepfake video surfaced showing Lee supposedly ending a hunger strike -- which he went on in 2023 to protest then-president Yoon's policies -- and joking about eating fried chicken. The video, which was shared widely in South Korea's right-wing online ecosystem, was generated using a real photo of Lee in a hospital bed. An AFP analysis identified numerous signs of AI manipulation -- disappearing background elements, warped body parts and inconsistent surroundings. Image Screenshot comparison of a keyframe from the AI-generated clip (L) and the original photograph published by Yonhap, with visual inconsistencies marked in red The video was fake, but it fed into a pre-existing narrative that Lee's protest was performative. "AI-driven misinformation poses a serious threat to democracy by obstructing voters' access to reliable information," said Song Kyeong-jae, a democracy and technology expert at Sangji University (archived link). "When decisions are made based on manipulated content, they are irreversible -- and the resulting social and political consequences can be profound." Fudged numbers Other claims have also sought to misrepresent pre-election polling, which has consistently shown Lee commanding a large lead over his conservative rivals. A viral graphic, shared days before early voting began, falsely claimed PPP candidate Kim was leading Lee in recent polls. In reality, the numbers came from January and February, and the original source clearly listed the survey dates. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared graphic (L) and the AsiaToday graphic published on May 11, with the cropped out dates highlighted by AFP These were deliberately cropped out to mislead viewers into thinking the results were current. Official May polls showed Lee with a commanding lead of five points or more.
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
South Korea election hit by misinformation
SEOUL: A photo of the frontrunner bowing to a Mao Zedong statue? News reports claiming US President Donald Trump endorsed a long-shot candidate? Not true, just examples of South Korea's election misinformation problems. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With the country set to vote on Tuesday for a new leader to replace ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over a botched martial law declaration, there has been an explosion of false claims online. What are the claims? Many of the claims focus on foreign interference, tapping into local fears of meddling by China, or fabricating support for the conservative camp from the United States. One of the most prominent falsehoods circulating online suggested weaknesses in the overseas voter registration system, with Chinese nationals exploiting the system to cast fraudulent ballots. "Even foreigners can vote as long as they have an email address!" read one widely shared post, which AFP Fact Check debunked. Who gets targeted? Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung is a popular target for disinformation. Many claims focus on his purported allegiance to Beijing -- feeding into a long-running narrative among conservatives that casts progressive candidates as sympathetic to, or even controlled by, China. For example, photos debunked by AFP journalists showed Lee kowtowing to a Mao statue, and wearing a face mask with the Chinese flag on it. This trend reflects the fact that many voters are less swayed by claims politicians are pro-North Korea, said Choi Jin-bong, a media communications professor at Sungkonghoe University in Seoul. "It's now the claim that progressives are subservient to China that resonates -- especially amid worsening US-China tensions," he told AFP. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Even when false, these narratives remain politically useful to conservatives as a last-ditch effort to blunt what looks like an inevitable Lee victory." What about the conservative candidate? The disinformation involving South Korean conservatives tends to focus on their ties to the United States. Doctored images have shown Trump supporting former prime minister Han Duck-soo's presidential campaign announcement. Han since dropped out of the race, after a failed bid to become the conservative People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Another claim involved a popular right-wing YouTuber falsely telling his 1.5 million subscribers that the Pentagon had endorsed PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo. US Forces Korea told AFP it was "completely untrue". But even if they are patently false, the claims "remain persuasive because they benefit political actors", Lee Jun-han, a politics professor at Incheon National University, told AFP. "They tap into Korea's polarised landscape and its geopolitical anxieties, rallying each side with narratives that play on fear, identity and outside influence." What about AI? In April, a deepfake video surfaced showing Lee supposedly ending a hunger strike -- which he went on in 2023 to protest then-president Yoon's policies -- and joking about eating fried chicken. The video, which was shared widely in South Korea's right-wing online ecosystem, was generated using a real photo of Lee in a hospital bed. An AFP analysis identified numerous signs of AI manipulation -- disappearing background elements, warped body parts and inconsistent surroundings. The video was fake, but it fed into a pre-existing narrative that Lee's protest was performative. "AI-driven misinformation poses a serious threat to democracy by obstructing voters' access to reliable information," said Song Kyeong-jae, a democracy and technology expert at Sangji University. "When decisions are made based on manipulated content, they are irreversible -- and the resulting social and political consequences can be profound." Fudged numbers Other claims have also sought to misrepresent pre-election polling, which has consistently shown Lee commanding a large lead over his conservative rivals. A viral graphic, shared days before early voting began, falsely claimed PPP candidate Kim was leading Lee in recent polls. In reality, the numbers came from January and February, and the original source clearly listed the survey dates. These were deliberately cropped out to mislead viewers into thinking the results were current. Official May polls showed Lee with a commanding lead of five points or more.
Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
South Korea election hit by misinformation
With South Korea set to vote on June 3 for a new president, there has been an explosion of false claims online. PHOTO: AFP SEOUL - A photo of the frontrunner bowing to a Mao Zedong statue? News reports claiming US President Donald Trump endorsed a long-shot candidate? Not true, just examples of South Korea's election misinformation problems. With the country set to vote on June 3 for a new leader to replace ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over a botched martial law declaration, there has been an explosion of false claims online. AFP takes a look at some of the worst offenders. What are the claims? Many of the claims focus on foreign interference, tapping into local fears of meddling by China, or fabricating support for the conservative camp from the United States. One of the most prominent falsehoods circulating online suggested weaknesses in the overseas voter registration system, with Chinese nationals exploiting the system to cast fraudulent ballots. 'Even foreigners can vote as long as they have an email address!' read one widely shared post, which AFP Fact Check debunked. Who gets targeted? Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung is a popular target for disinformation. Many claims focus on his purported allegiance to Beijing – feeding into a long-running narrative among conservatives that casts progressive candidates as sympathetic to, or even controlled by, China. For example, photos debunked by AFP journalists showed Lee kowtowing to a Mao statue, and wearing a face mask with the Chinese flag on it. This trend reflects the fact that many voters are less swayed by claims politicians are pro-North Korea, said Dr Choi Jin-bong, a media communications professor at Sungkonghoe University in Seoul. 'It's now the claim that progressives are subservient to China that resonates – especially amid worsening US-China tensions,' he told AFP. 'Even when false, these narratives remain politically useful to conservatives as a last-ditch effort to blunt what looks like an inevitable Lee victory.' What about the conservative candidate? The disinformation involving South Korean conservatives tends to focus on their ties to the United States. Doctored images have shown Mr Trump supporting former prime minister Han Duck-soo's presidential campaign announcement. Mr Han since dropped out of the race, after a failed bid to become the conservative People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Another claim involved a popular right-wing YouTuber falsely telling his 1.5 million subscribers that the Pentagon had endorsed PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo. US Forces Korea told AFP it was 'completely untrue'. But even if they are patently false, the claims 'remain persuasive because they benefit political actors', Dr Lee Jun-han, a politics professor at Incheon National University, told AFP. 'They tap into Korea's polarised landscape and its geopolitical anxieties, rallying each side with narratives that play on fear, identity and outside influence.' What about AI? In April, a deepfake video surfaced showing Lee supposedly ending a hunger strike – which he went on in 2023 to protest then-president Yoon's policies – and joking about eating fried chicken. The video, which was shared widely in South Korea's right-wing online ecosystem, was generated using a real photo of Lee in a hospital bed. An AFP analysis identified numerous signs of AI manipulation – disappearing background elements, warped body parts and inconsistent surroundings. The video was fake, but it fed into a pre-existing narrative that Lee's protest was performative. 'AI-driven misinformation poses a serious threat to democracy by obstructing voters' access to reliable information,' said democracy and technology expert Song Kyeong-jae from Sangji University. 'When decisions are made based on manipulated content, they are irreversible – and the resulting social and political consequences can be profound.' Fudged numbers Other claims have also sought to misrepresent pre-election polling, which has consistently shown Lee commanding a large lead over his conservative rivals. A viral graphic, shared days before early voting began, falsely claimed PPP candidate Mr Kim was leading Lee in recent polls. In reality, the numbers came from January and February, and the original source clearly listed the survey dates. These were deliberately cropped out to mislead viewers into thinking the results were current. Official May polls showed Lee with a commanding lead of five points or more. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
