The presidential office said Friday it will respond strongly to similar events in the future after a fabricated video of President Yoon Suk Yeol apologizing for corruption and incompetence appeared online.

The video, recently uploaded onto Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, depicted Yoon saying that his “incompetent and corrupt” government has habitually committed foul acts and injustices, ruining the nation and causing people pain.

The video emerged at a sensitive time ahead of April’s general elections.

Police on Thursday requested the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), the telecommunications watchdog, remove and block the video. In an emergency meeting on Friday, the KCSC unanimously granted the police request, deciding that the video has the potential to cause significant social confusion.

“We express serious concern over the fact that despite this, certain outlets are labeling the false and fabricated video as a satirical video or reporting on it as if it is okay because it is marked as
fake,” presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung said during a press briefing.

“This is action that goes against the calling of the press, which should root out fake news,” she continued. “The presidential office plans to respond strongly to such false and fabricated videos in the future.”

Initially, the video was suspected to be a deepfake creation, but it was later discovered to be a fabricated compilation of Yoon’s statements made during a TV debate in February 2022 when he was a presidential candidate.

The KCSC plans to request the social network platforms delete or block the video.