How South Korea’s political crisis was fuelled by anti-China disinformation claims

South Korea’s political turmoil deepened as disinformation blamed China for Yoon’s impeachment, despite no evidence, reflecting rising sinophobia

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A man watches South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol speak during a news broadcast on a television at a train station in Seoul, after he declared emergency martial law. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:18pm, 3 Dec 2025

Yoon Suk-yeol’s botched attempt to impose martial law last year plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, providing fertile ground for disinformation to grow.

A common refrain, posted on right-wing forums, amplified by YouTubers and echoed by lawmakers: China was to blame.

Yoon supporters claimed Beijing had infiltrated protests, funded his impeachment campaign and manipulated online opinion ahead of the June snap election that brought opposition leader Lee Jae-myung to power.

Yoon himself fuelled the suspicion last December during televised remarks defending his failed decree, warning that “forces linked to North Korea and China are threatening our democracy from within”.

But a review of the most widespread claims, including alleged “spy arrests” and Chinese-backed protests, found no solid evidence to support them.

Instead, experts say the narrative was a home-grown reflection of political rivalries and long-simmering anti-China sentiment.

There used to be goodwill towards China, but as competition deepened and cultural disputes intensified, frustration turned into resentment

Ha Nam-suk, political analyst

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