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Cybersecurity News that Matters

Security in numbers: 388 deepfakes appeared in South Korean elections

by Dain Oh

Apr. 18, 2024
6:25 PM GMT+9

In December of last year, South Korea amended the Public Official Election Act to safeguard the nation from potential harm that artificial intelligence might pose to upcoming elections.

The newly instituted Article 82-8 of the law states, “No one may produce, edit, distribute, screen, or post deepfake videos for election campaigning purposes from 90 days before election day to election day itself.” This prohibition took effect on January 29.

Furthermore, in preparation for the parliamentary elections on April 10, the National Election Commission (NEC) expanded its special response team for false information to include an AI detector team.

A week has passed since the elections concluded. The Readable has compiled public data released by government agencies that played a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of the elections. Kuksung Nam and Minkyung Shin contributed to this report.

Election campaigning deepfakes

240418 Election security in numbers SS 대지 1 - Security in numbers: 388 deepfakes appeared in South Korean elections
Total cases violating the Public Official Election Act—Article 82-8, with deletion requests issued by the National Election Commission from March 25 to April 10. Numbers above each bar represent cumulative totals from previous days. Designed by Sangseon Kim. Source: The National Election Commission

The spread of false information

240418 Election security in numbers SS 02 1 - Security in numbers: 388 deepfakes appeared in South Korean elections
A total of cases that violated the Public Official Election Act―Article 82-4, which states “No one shall disseminate untrue facts about a candidate, his or her spouse, or any of his or her lineal ascendants or descendants or siblings through an information and communications network.” Numbers below each bar represents year (left) and ordinal numeral of parliamentary election. Data for the 22nd election was collected from October 25 of last year through April 10 of this year. Designed by Sangseon Kim. Source: The National Election Commission

Election crimes: Data provided by Supreme Prosecutors’ Office

240418 Election security in numbers SS 03 - Security in numbers: 388 deepfakes appeared in South Korean elections
Numbers below the horizontal bar individually represents year (left) and ordinal numeral of parliamentary election. Designed by Sangseon Kim. Source: Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea

Election crimes: Data provided by Korean National Police Agency

240418 Election security in numbers SS 04 - Security in numbers: 388 deepfakes appeared in South Korean elections
Numbers below the horizontal bar individually represents year (left) and ordinal numeral of parliamentary election. Designed by Sangseon Kim. Source: Korean National Police Agency
  • [Apr. 11, 2024] Election Commission identifies over 72,000 instances of misinformation about candidates
  • [Apr. 8, 2024] AI-driven Chinese influence campaigns target elections across Korea, US, India, experts warn
  • [Apr. 9, 2024] Rise in fake news as South Korean elections draw near
  • [Mar. 20, 2024] Transparency: Ireland’s strategy to safeguard elections in the AI era
  • [Mar. 5, 2024] South Korean police to fight deepfakes ahead of general election
  • [Feb. 1, 2024] South Korean President warns of North Korea’s interference in April election
  • [Jan. 31, 2024] Security outlook 2024: AI, Election, the Paris Olympics
  • [Jan. 25, 2024] South Korea reinspects election security prior to general election
  • [Dec. 7, 2023] South Korea should beware of North Korea’s interference in 2024 election, expert stressed
  • [Oct. 10, 2023] North Korea hacked South Korea’s electoral regulator, intelligence agency reveals
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  • Dain Oh
    : Author

    Dain Oh is a distinguished journalist based in South Korea, recognized for her exceptional contributions to the field. As the founder and editor-in-chief of The Readable, she has demonstrated her expe...

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  • Arthur Gregory Willers
    : Copyeditor

    Arthur Gregory Willers is a copyeditor at The Readable, where he works to make complex cybersecurity news accessible and engaging for readers. With over 20 years in education and publishing, his exper...

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  • Areum Hwang
    : Designer

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