Deepfake election videos alleged in South Korea Gyeongnam governor race
A former campaign employee allegedly claimed that Park Wan-soo's 2026 Gyeongnam governor election campaign created and distributed AI deepfake videos attacking rival Kim Kyung-soo, with alleged involvement of a government official. Kim's campaign and civic groups filed complaints, while Park's campaign denied the allegations, claiming the employee worked briefly in late April and had contacted Kim's team about employment.
What happened
On May 29, 2026, during early voting for the June 3 local elections, a former employee of Park Wan-soo's campaign for Gyeongnam governor claimed that the campaign created and distributed AI deepfake videos attacking Kim Kyung-soo, the Democratic Party candidate. The employee alleged that in late April, multiple deepfake videos mocking Kim Kyung-soo were produced and uploaded to an unofficial personal YouTube channel, with one video based on past comments manipulation allegations against Kim.
The employee claimed that a Gyeongnam Provincial Government official provided materials used in video production and requested edits. Kim's campaign held an emergency press conference demanding Park's withdrawal and filed a complaint against five people for violations of the Public Official Election Act and Local Public Officials Act.
Park's campaign immediately held a counter press conference denying that the campaign systematically created or directed distribution of illegal videos and asserting that videos were not used in the election. Park's campaign claimed the employee had only worked for the campaign for about a week in late April and was negotiating over employment terms when contacting Kim's campaign.
Reported impact
Kim Kyung-soo's campaign and civic groups stated that AI-generated illegal election videos and allegations of government official involvement violated democratic principles. The Gyeongnam Election Commission confirmed it was investigating whether deepfake videos were created and posted, and whether public officials participated in the process.
Index analysis
Public Official Election Act provisions prohibit creation, editing, and distribution of illegal AI-generated fake videos for election purposes beginning 90 days before an election. Local Public Officials Act requirements mandate political neutrality for government employees.
Governance controls
The Gyeongnam Election Commission stated it was investigating whether the deepfake videos were created and posted, and whether public officials were involved in the process. The investigation was described as in a stage of identifying relevant people to determine whether they created and posted deepfake videos.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.