USFK: "The rumor of arresting 99 Chinese nationals is completely false"

Internet Outlet's 'CEC Chinese Arrest' Report
Cited by Far-Right YouTubers and Yoon's Impeachment Lawyer
USFK: "False", CEC: "Filed Police Complaint"

Regarding the claim that U.S.-South Korea military authorities arrested 99 Chinese spies at the Central Election Commission (CEC) building located in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, during the declaration of emergency martial law on December 3, the United States Forces Korea (USFK) has refuted it as "entirely false."

On the 20th, the US Forces Korea denied reports related to the 'Arrest of 99 Chinese nationals by the Election Commission.' X

On the 20th, USFK stated through its official X (formerly Twitter) account, "The information related to USFK mentioned by a Korean media outlet is completely false. USFK is committed to maintaining stability and security on the Korean Peninsula under the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty." It added, "We urge responsible reporting and fact-checking to prevent the spread of misinformation that could undermine public trust."

Recently, fake news claiming that 99 Chinese nationals were arrested at the CEC during the December 3 emergency martial law has spread, mainly among fervent supporters of President Yoon Suk-yeol. This originated from an article titled "[Exclusive] 99 Chinese Nationals Arrested at Election Training Center Transferred to U.S. Military Base in Japan" published on the 16th by the online media outlet Sky Daily.

The article cited an anonymous U.S. military source, claiming, "On the day of the December 3 emergency martial law, our martial law troops, in a joint operation with U.S. forces, raided the Suwon CEC Election Training Center and arrested 99 Chinese nationals. They were transferred via Pyeongtaek Port to the U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan." Subsequently, this claim was amplified and reproduced mainly by far-right YouTubers promoting election fraud theories.

President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team attended the second hearing of the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol held on the 16th at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Bae Jin-han, a lawyer representing President Yoon in his impeachment trial, stated during the second hearing, "There was news that 90 Chinese nationals at the Suwon Election Training Center were confined and interrogated at a U.S. military facility in Okinawa, Japan, where they confessed to election fraud," adding, "This was the reason for the declaration of emergency martial law."

The CEC rebutted these claims as "clear falsehoods," stating, "On the day of the martial law, the Election Training Center was conducting educational courses for 50 CEC grade 5 promotion (or prospective) officials and 69 grade 6 officials, with a total of 96 people staying overnight, including 88 public officials and 8 external instructors."

On the 20th, the CEC filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the media outlet and the journalist who wrote the article on charges including obstruction of official duties by deception under the Criminal Act, defamation, defamation through publications, and violations of the Information and Communications Network Act. It is also reported that the CEC has requested a correction report from the Korea Press Arbitration Commission.