Why people believe fake news on China's election interference

By KTimes

Far-right YouTubers and media outlets have amplified conspiracy theories about Chinese interference in Korea’s elections, even citing baseless claims to support President Yoon Suk Yeol’s narrative.

During the impeachment trial on Thursday, Bae Jin-han, a lawyer representing the president, claimed, “The National Election Commission's (NEC) password ‘12345’ for its electronic system appears to be a connection code between China’s central and local governments, as if it were designed to grant access through China.”

Yoon’s legal team justified the necessity of declaring martial law to “take control of the NEC and resolve election fraud suspicions,” pointing to these claims as evidence.

They also alleged that “fake ballots” had been inserted, citing conspiracy theories spread by far-right YouTube channels that China and North Korea influence ballot handling.

Despite the NEC’s repeated denials of such allegations, the conspiracy theory that “China interfered in the election” continues to spread rapidly, even making its way into impeachment hearings.

What began as common suspicions of vote manipulation by losing political factions has morphed into a baseless conspiracy theory accusing China of meddling in Korea’s elections.

The spread of this theory has gone so far that sitting ruling party lawmakers have incited public fear, claiming that a large number of Chinese nationals are attending rallies in support of Yoon’s impeachment.

This article explores how these unfounded allegations gained traction and why such conspiracy theories persist.

'Anti-state forces'

Yoon has repeatedly alluded to alleged Chinese interference in letters addressed to his supporters. In a letter sent from his residence on Jan. 1 and in a handwritten note shared before his arrest on Jan. 15, Yoon referred to “anti-state forces” multiple times.

He warned of “the dangers posed by these forces both within and outside the country” and said, “Hostile influence operations by external sovereignty-infringing forces must always be countered.”

Yoon also claimed that some domestic political groups align with these external forces to gain political power.

Experts believe Yoon’s references to “anti-state forces” point to China. Political commentator Kim Min-ha wrote on his website, “Since North Korea’s actions are considered hostile acts by a non-state entity, they are not referred to as sovereignty infringement. The term clearly aligns with conspiracy theories propagated by far-right groups, which frame China as the ‘anti-state force.’”

Kim said that Yoon’s narrative echoes baseless claims that “Chinese Communist Party spies are controlling Korea’s legislative and judicial branches and orchestrating election fraud.” This alignment, he argued, fuels conspiracy theories rather than quelling them.

Recently, a far-right media outlet, Sky Daily, published an article titled, "99 Chinese nationals arrested at election training center and sent to U.S. military base in Japan," alleging that martial law forces detained Chinese nationals at an election training center during the crisis. The report provided no evidence to support these claims.

As the article spread rapidly among Yoon’s supporters, the NEC promptly refuted it, saying, "This report is entirely false. During the martial law period, the election training center was running educational programs for NEC employees, and no martial law forces entered the building."

The NEC is considering legal action, including requesting a correction, but Yoon’s legal team still cited the article during the Jan. 16 impeachment hearing as evidence of election interference.

SisaIN, a progressive weekly magazine, pointed out that one source of this fake news stemmed from its own exclusive report from Dec. 24 last year, titled "90 Civilians and NEC Staff Detained at the NEC Training Center on Dec. 3."

The outlet explained that keywords such as "Chinese nationals," "spies," and "U.S. military" were arbitrarily added to distort the original article, leading to the spread of false information.

The original report merely stated that martial law forces and police had been deployed to the NEC training center on Dec. 3 to control access during a training session involving NEC staff and external lecturers, without any mention of Chinese nationals or related terms.

Vote recounts to election conspiracy

Refusing to accept election results and calling for a recount have long been a common response from losing factions. However, these claims began to escalate into full-blown conspiracy theories during the 18th presidential election, when progressive broadcaster Kim Ou-joon raised suspicions that the election, won by former President Park Geun-hye, had been rigged.

Kim presented what he called the "K-value 1.5," a figure he claimed indicated that the proportion of ballots manually recounted after being classified as "unclassified" by the ballot sorting machine showed Park Geun-hye's votes were 1.5 times higher than Moon Jae-in's. Kim argued that the "K-value" should normally equal "1," and any deviation from this, particularly a value of 1.5, suggested potential vote manipulation.

This claim was later turned into the 2017 film, "The Plan." However, Newstapa, an investigative media outlet, after analyzing the issue with experts, revealed that in the 19th presidential election, the K-value for Democratic Party of Korea candidate Moon Jae-in, compared to Liberty Korea Party candidate Hong Joon-pyo, was also around 1.6 — similar to the figure observed in the 18th election. This undermined Kim Ou-joon’s argument, as it lacked sufficient evidence.

Social critic Park Kwon-il said, “Even after the K-value theory was debunked, Kim Ou-joon never issued an apology. While it’s hard to claim that today’s far-right conspiracy theories are directly caused by Kim’s allegations, this theory has become an excuse for conspiracy narratives on both the progressive and conservative sides.”

Rise of anti-China sentiment

The spread of conspiracy theories about Chinese interference coincides with growing anti-China sentiment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kim Hak-joon, author of "The Era of Ordinary Ilbe," analyzed the far-right online community known as "Ilbe" and noted that anti-China rhetoric surpassed regional prejudices starting in late 2019.

"Distrust of China among the conservative right intensified during the pandemic, fueled by propaganda opposing the Moon Jae-in administration’s COVID-19 policies," he said.

Kim also highlighted the role of YouTube’s algorithm in amplifying conspiracy theories. "Unlike online communities where diverse opinions occasionally surface, YouTube’s algorithm continuously feeds similar content, reinforcing users’ beliefs and trapping them in a ‘filter bubble,’" he said.

Political scientist Park Sang-hoon, head of the publishing company, Humanitas, said that political polarization has made society more susceptible to conspiracy theories.

"Both major parties have focused on catering to their bases, deepening divisions and creating fertile ground for conspiracy theories," he said.

While conspiracy theories may never be completely eradicated, Park stressed the importance of fostering a society capable of managing their impact.

"Conspiracy theories stem from human limitations, but we must work toward a society where they remain contained and do not disrupt the social fabric," he said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.