Misinformation on May 18 Democracy Uprising rises despite law

People gather at a rally to commemorate the May 18 Democratization Movement on Saturday in Gwangju. (Yonhap)

Misinformation and disparagement of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement increased significantly last year, despite a 2021 law aimed at punishing distortions and defamatory claims about the uprising, according to reports Sunday.

An artificial intelligence-based analysis by the May 18 Foundation found more than 5,100 online posts and comments containing distortions or disparaging claims about the pro-democracy movement between February and November 2025.

In one high-profile case, former celebrity history instructor Jeon Han-gil claimed on his YouTube channel that “the May 18 Movement was an insurrection led by the DJ group and North Korea,” referring to a political group centered around former President Kim Dae-jung.

Commemorative groups say such claims inflict secondary harm on victims, survivors and their families. “It has been 46 years since the movement, but the wounds continue to this day without social healing, and victims are still suffering,” the May 18 Foundation said.

“Further tolerance and neglect cannot be justified. The law must be strictly enforced.”

Monday marks the 46th anniversary of the movement. On May 18, 1980, Gwangju residents rose against Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who had seized power the previous year in a coup after President Park Chung-hee died and ultimately became president himself in August 1980.

During the nine-day uprising, more than 200,000 people took to the streets. Hundreds were killed or wounded as Chun ordered one of the most brutal crackdowns in South Korea’s modern history.

A post on Instagram claiming that the May 18 Democratization Movement was orchestrated by North Korea. (Screenshot from Instagram)

The May 18 Foundation’s analysis found 5,182 disparaging or distortionary online posts and comments about the movement in 2025, up nearly 200 percent from 1,728 cases in 2024.

Among major platforms, YouTube saw the steepest on-year increase, with such content rising 538 percent from 34 cases in 2024 to 217 in 2025.

DC Inside, a major South Korean online forum, had the highest number of such posts and comments at 2,677, followed by Naver News with 1,028 and the far-right forum Ilgan Best with 737.

The most common type of distortion involved calling the May 18 Democratization Movement “a riot,” with 1,643 cases. Claims that the list of May 18 merit recipients had been falsified followed with 1,031 cases, while claims that the North Korean military had intervened accounted for 569 cases.

Individual cases have also drawn attention to the lack of effective regulation on social media.

Earlier this month, some posts circulated on Instagram claimed the May 18 movement was orchestrated by Pyongyang, using documents falsely presented as by the US Central Intelligence Agency. These claims were debunked by South Korea’s Defense Ministry in 2013 and again by a state investigation committee in 2024.

One far-right organization used an AI-generated animated film to promote conspiracy theories that North Korean agents infiltrated Gwangju in May 1980 and later became part of South Korea’s establishment.

“Cases in which posts containing hate comments and historical distortions are left unattended for long periods on major domestic and international online platforms are on the rise,” Choi Kyung-hoon, an official at the May 18 Foundation, told local daily Hankyoreh.

“Further measures are needed to hold platforms responsible for content management.”

A 2021 amendment to the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement added a provision that punishes the dissemination of false information about the movement.

Under the law, those who spread misinformation about the movement can face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won ($33,400).

Despite the growing number of online and offline cases of disparagement and misinformation, only 21 cases resulted in penalties in 2025. The annual number of cases punished has remained below 30 since the amendment was introduced.

Police told local news agency News1 last year that there are practical difficulties in cracking down on misinformation related to the movement, especially online.

Evidence can be difficult to secure once a post is deleted, and a shortage of manpower makes real-time monitoring of such offenses challenging.

More than 200 protesters gathered Saturday for a pro-Yoon Suk Yeol rally on Geumnam-ro in Gwangju, the six-lane road that served as a central rallying site during the May 18 movement.

The protesters waved Korean flags and shouted slogans such as “We are Yoon Suk Yeol” and “Wake up, Gwangju,” just a few hundred meters from a venue where a commemorative rally for the May 18 movement was scheduled to take place hours later.

Organizers of the pro-Yoon rally said the gathering was not intended to disparage the movement, but some speeches by rallygoers echoed distorted claims.

One rallygoer claimed that “the benefits given to May 18 merit recipients are excessive,” while another said, “What is a riot if not citizens robbing a police armory?” referring to citizens taking up arms after the military’s violent crackdown.

The rally led to clashes. Some residents used megaphones to protest against the rallygoers, and a commemorative group that had been handing out food confronted the protesters before police intervened.

seungku99@heraldcorp.com