South Korea Investigates Fake News Mocking 1980 Gwangju Uprising

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- Police said Friday they were investigating fake news posted online mocking the 1980 democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju by claiming the movement was orchestrated by North Korea.

The National Office of Investigation launched the probe after an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated newspaper clip dated May 20, 1980, surfaced online with the headline that spies who received instructions from Pyongyang had seized weapons and attacked troops enforcing martial law.

On May 18, 1980, citizens gathered to stand up against a military junta led by then Gen. Chun Doo-hwan in Gwangju, who sent troops to the city to brutally crack down on civilians. Chun ultimately seized power through a military coup.

"We will proactively investigate fake news spreading through social media platforms regarding the May 18 democracy movement without tolerance and request the deletion and blocking of such posts," the office said.

"The police will take stern measures against the spread of disinformation to ensure the spirit of the May 18 democracy movement is not tarnished," it added.

Earlier this week, Starbucks Korea, operated by retail conglomerate Shinsegae, drew public outrage after launching a coffee tumbler promotion featuring the word "tank," which coincided with the anniversary of the democracy uprising.

While the marketing campaign was scrapped within hours of its launch, President Lee Jae Myung strongly criticized the promotion on Monday.

Lee called the campaign "inhumane behavior by lowly profiteers" that undermined the country's core values of human rights and democracy, while calling for those involved in the marketing campaign to be held accountable.