South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced the formation of an inter-ministerial task force aimed at curtailing potential manipulation of public opinion on South Korea’s online portals. This decision followed a report from the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) which indicated that approximately 80% of online users supporting the Chinese soccer team during the Asian Games men’s quarterfinal against South Korea originated from overseas. Suspicions arose that foreign persons or entities might have used virtual private networks to mimic domestic users or manipulate the high volume of support for the Chinese team.

Han emphasized the gravity of the situation, denouncing “fake news” as a threat to democratic foundations, and urged the task force to propose legislative and preventative solutions. This incident has also sparked political concerns. Earlier in the day, ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Kim Gi-hyeon voiced suspicions on social media that online portals might be leveraged to shape public opinion before next year’s general elections. He also cited disproportionate ratios during another soccer match between South and North Korea and highlighted certain online portals’ alleged left-leaning bias.