Google closes 449 Korean YouTube channels in the second quarter... 367 in May alone before local elections

In the second quarter of this year, Google shut down a large number of 449 Korean-language YouTube channels that systematically manipulated public opinion by covering Korea-related content. According to the information and communications technology (ICT) industry on the 16th, Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) released the '2026 Second Quarter Influence Operation Report' on the 31st of last month. According to the report, the number of Korean channels blocked by Google between April and June of this year reached 449, including 22 in April, 367 in May, and 60 in June. In particular, 81.7% of channels were closed in May, ahead of the June 3 local elections. The channels detected in May included criticism of the Korean government (142), support for the government (71), support for a specific politician (58), simultaneous criticism of the government and a specific political party (53), and support for the government and criticism of a specific political party (43). In April, 22 channels that supported specific politicians and criticized specific political parties were blocked, and in June, 60 channels that systematically distributed content critical of specific politicians were subject to sanctions. Google determined that these channels had engaged in 'inauthentic coordination' by mobilizing multiple accounts, disguising it as voluntary personal activity, and then unfairly interfering in the formation of specific political opinions. Unlike the cases of other countries such as China, Russia, and Iran, Google did not disclose detailed information about the Korean channel, such as the country behind it, the specific operating entity, or the channel name. It is highly unusual for Korean-language political channels to be uncovered on a large scale in Google's quarterly reports. From the second quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, there was not a single case of Korean-related channel blocking in the same report. Meanwhile, during the same period, a total of 18,500 channels suspected of manipulating public opinion were shut down by Google worldwide. By country, China had the largest number of networks at 9,173, followed by Russia (2,083), India (1,778), and Azerbaijan (981). [email protected]