After South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted martial law just hours after declaring it, citing the need to “crush anti-state forces,” a photo of a military convoy on the streets went viral, with users wrongly claiming it was from a recent deployment in Seoul. However, Fact Crescendo has confirmed that the claim is misleading.
Here is our investigation of this claim.
Social Media Claim
A Facebook user recently shared photos of a military convoy on the streets, linking them to the above images shortly after the South Korean president’s shocking martial law announcement.
The post, which gained attention online, was originally shared with the caption: “Martial law declared in South Korea. Armored vehicles spotted in city centers”.
Another post from a Cambodian Facebook user also shared the same images with the same claim, suggesting that they depicted South Korea’s military deploying tanks and helicopters in response to clashes near the parliament.
This post, like the others, contributed to the spread of misleading information online.
The same photo, along with the identical claim, has also been observed and shared by another X user. This repetition highlights the viral nature of the image and its ability to spread across different platforms.
For more information and specifics regarding this post, you can find the details below.
The same photo was also published on a website called ABDI Media, which claimed it depicted South Korea’s military deploying tanks and helicopters in Seoul following clashes that allegedly occurred near the parliament in early December 2024.
The website suggested that the image was linked to the turmoil surrounding the martial law declaration and military mobilization.
ABDI Media Link | Archived Link
Given the claim’s extensive dissemination and the considerable attention it has received from the internet community, we believed it was necessary to perform a fact-check on the above subject.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo monitors and verifies these photos through the Google Reverse Image Search process, which leads us to find the truth as follows:
A Google Reverse Image Search on the viral photo led to a report on the website seoul.co.kr, dated January 27, 2024. The article featured the same image, with the caption: “The 1st Guard Brigade of the Capital Defense Command conducted a mobile training exercise using the K808 wheeled armored vehicle (Baekho) in downtown Seoul on the morning of January 25, 2024”.
This report confirmed that the image was taken during a routine military training exercise, not a recent deployment or response to political unrest, as suggested by the misleading claims circulating online.
For more information and specifics regarding this article, you can find the details below.
Seoul News Report | Archived Link
Another report by Maeil Business Newspaper from January 2024 featured a similar photograph of an army vehicle convoy in the same location as the viral image. The report clarified that the photo actually depicted a military parade of armored vehicles, which crossed the Han River bridge and passed through Seoul Station in the early morning hours of January 25, 2024. This parade was part of a scheduled military exercise, and the convoy was not linked to any recent political unrest or the martial law declaration, as some social media posts had suggested.
The report emphasized that the image, though striking, was unrelated to the current political situation in South Korea, helping to debunk the misleading claims circulating online.
Maeil Business Newspaper | Archived Link
Fact Crescendo has also found a video report by the YouTube channel @channelA-newstop10, featuring similar visuals, stating, “On January 25th, 2024 more than a dozen armored vehicles entered downtown Seoul at dawn. The Army Water Defense Corps conducted mobile training with the “Baekho” wheeled armored vehicle. To minimize inconvenience to citizens, the vehicles entered downtown at dawn and carried out the training”.
The report clarified that the military presence was part of a routine training exercise unrelated to martial law or any political crisis. The timing and location were chosen to minimize disruption, with the convoy in the viral images being part of this planned activity.
Follow Us and Stay Up to Date with Our Latest Fact Checks.
Facebook | Twitter | Telegram | Google News | TikTok | WhatsApp
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo found that the claim, accompanied by the photo posted on social media, is misleading. The image dates back to January 25, 2024, and shows the 1st Guard Brigade of the Capital Defense Command conducting a mobile training exercise in downtown Seoul using the K808 wheeled armored vehicle (Baekho). It is entirely unrelated to the recent martial law announcement by the South Korean president.
Title:Old Image of Military Convoy in Seoul Goes Viral After Martial Law Announcement
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: Misleading
