Military convoy photo predates South Korean martial law declaration | Fact check
The claim: Image shows armored vehicles in Seoul, South Korea, after martial law declaration
A Dec. 3 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a convoy of military vehicles driving down a street with signs written in Korean.
"Troop movement in Seoul, South Korea after the declaration of martial law!" reads text written across the top of the picture.
The post garnered more than 100 likes in two days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X.
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Our rating: False
The image predates the martial law declaration by nearly a year. It was captured during a military training exercise in January.
Convoy image captured in January
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked many on Dec. 3 by suddenly declaring martial law, a move that grants the military authority over civilians in times of emergency and can include the suspension of civil rights. The action was instantly met with vocal political opposition and protests in Seoul, leading Yoon to reverse the declaration within hours.
Though armed troops were photographed near the National Assembly building in Seoul, the image shared on Instagram predates the incident by months.
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The picture was included in an article published by the South Korean outlet Seoul Shinmun on Jan. 27, nearly 11 months before Yoon's martial law declaration. The photo was taken from a Korean Forces Network video posted to YouTube Jan. 25. Several similar photos and videos of the vehicles were featured in the article as well.
The Defense Media Agency explained at the time that the photo showed the 1st Security Brigade of the Capital Defense Command of the Army conducting a military training exercise in downtown Seoul. The outlet reported the exercise was performed "to understand the operational environment of Seoul and strengthen the readiness posture."
The Maeil Business Newspaper published an article the same day with a similar photo and video of the convoy, reiterating a nearly identical explanation provided by the National Defense Information Service.
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Snopes and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Maeil Business Newspaper, Jan. 27, 'Is it a war?'
- Seoul Shinmun, Jan. 27, 12 armored vehicles from the Water Defense Corps enter downtown Seoul at night… 'War? Coup?' (Video)
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