Korean Intelligence Exposes Extensive Chinese Influence Campaign Through Fabricated Websites

As the parliamentary elections in South Korea get closer, the country’s intelligence agency has discovered a covert operation by Chinese media propaganda firms. They are believed to have set up 38 counterfeit websites imitating South Korean media outlets in an attempt to influence public opinion with pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and anti-American narratives.

The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) in collaboration with local security firms uncovered the websites on November 13. It was revealed through investigations that two Chinese companies, posing as South Korean media organizations, launched the sites to spread distorted news within South Korea. The NIS emphasized the malicious intent of the operations, noting their goal of manipulating public opinion.

The agency’s detailed report exposed the roles of two Chinese public relations companies in the misinformation campaign. Haimai and Haixun created media outlets with names and domain addresses closely resembling legitimate South Korean news organizations. They illegally republished South Korean news content and falsely claimed affiliation with the Korean Digital News Association.

The fabricated websites, including “Seoul Press” (seoulpr.com), “Busan Online” (busanonline.com), and “Chungcheong Times” (cctimes.org), not only published unauthorized South Korean media reports but also disseminated biased narratives praising the CCP and criticizing South Korea’s involvement in the Summit for Democracy.

This is not an isolated incident. The NIS referenced a report by the American cybersecurity firm Mandiant, which detailed similar deceptive practices by China to influence global public opinion. Mandiant’s August 2022 report outlined Haixun’s creation of 72 fake news websites, including Korean-language sites, to propagate CCP viewpoints.

Historically these deceptive tactics primarily targeted Western nations, but recent developments show a shift in focus towards South Korea. The fake content from these websites is now spreading through various social media channels. As a response, South Korean authorities are taking steps to block the sites.

In a similar incident in October, suspicious online activity was observed during the Hangzhou Asian Games men’s soccer quarterfinal between South Korea and China. A significant number of fake online cheers for the Chinese team appeared on Daum, a South Korean portal website, suggesting possible CCP involvement in manipulating South Korean public opinion.

A report by the portal’s operator found that at its peak, the Chinese team received an overwhelming 93.2 percent of cheers on Daum’s online cheering page, while almost 90 percent of those clicks came from just two IP addresses.

Following these revelations, South Korean officials are expressing concerns about foreign interference in their upcoming elections. After the October Daum incident, Park Sung-Joong, a member of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party, warned of potential foreign manipulation in future electoral processes.

Han Mino, a representative of the Confucius Institute Truth Campaign, told The Epoch Times that the CCP’s tactics were “naive and disrespectful” to South Korea.

With legislative elections scheduled for next year and Korea’s left-wing, pro-CCP Democratic Party having a majority in the National Assembly, there are growing concerns about foreign influence.

Kim Yongbin, Secretary-General of the South Korean National Election Commission, acknowledged these worries in a recent National Assembly meeting, stating that preparations for the 2024 parliamentary elections would take into account the risk of potential manipulation by North Korea and China and that measures would be taken to address this risk.