South Korea: Deepfake and false election misinformation surge before local elections
Deepfake and false election misinformation surged in South Korea ahead of June 2026 local elections, with authorities arresting 921 people for election misinformation violations and handling over 10,000 deletion requests for deepfake-related posts in less than two months, according to government officials.
What happened
Ahead of South Korea's June 3, 2026 local elections, false information and deepfake-based election campaign violations surged. From January 1 to May 27, 2026, authorities arrested 921 people for spreading false information, fake news, and smear campaigns related to the elections.
Between April 13 and May 27, 2026 (the 50 days before the elections), an average of 12.5 people per day were arrested for election misinformation. Deepfake election campaign violations increased sharply, with 10,319 deletion requests for deepfake election-related posts by May 27.
Reported impact
The number of deletion requests for deepfake election posts reached 98.2% of the total deletion requests (10,510) from the entire 2022 presidential election campaign, despite a week remaining until the June 3 elections.
Government officials described fake news as a threat to democracy and a barrier to social cohesion.
Index analysis
The acceleration in detentions occurred following a government meeting on April 13 on proper elections, suggesting coordination among authorities. The police elevated their response level to the highest stage on May 14 to intensify investigations into online media spreading malicious fake news.
Governance controls
The government coordinated across agencies including the National Police Agency and broadcast media regulator to detect, delete, report, and investigate misinformation. The Central Election Commission, administration ministry, and police established multi-agency task forces to rapidly respond to false information throughout the election period.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.