“Political Phishing”: Pro-Yoon far-right female online influencer found to be AI-generated

Recently on social media, accounts supporting the “Yoon Again” movement have been appearing one after another using the faces of young women as their profile images.

However, investigations found that many of these faces were either fake images generated by AI or photos stolen from unrelated ordinary people.
Analysts say far-right groups are using the image of young women to carry out a kind of “political phishing,” similar to voice phishing scams.
Reporter Baek Seung-woo reports.

[Report]
One SNS account lists “Yoon Again” in its self-introduction section.
Along with various everyday photos, the account repeatedly posted messages seemingly designed to attract positive reactions from supporters of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, such as:
“I revealed my face because I’m right-wing.”
“Older people think I’m cute, so it feels nice.”
But it turned out that this woman was actually a virtual person created by AI.

Lee Bom-hee:
“I was really shocked. It looked exactly like a real person. It’s kind of creepy…”

Yang Ha-ram / Lee Han-byeol:
“It looks like AI. The skin texture has that distinctive feel… But after some time, I don’t think people will even be able to tell anymore. These days, AI is getting so advanced.”

Sometimes real people’s photos are stolen as well.
Last February, a “Yoon Again” account used a real flight attendant’s photos without permission, causing controversy after the actual person discovered it.
This is not unique to Korea.
In the United States, a female “MAGA” influencer who appeared to support President Trump was later revealed to be entirely AI-generated.
As the influence of far-right groups continues to shrink, they appear to be using images of young women to create the illusion that their movement is expanding its appeal.

Professor Lee Jae-mook, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies:
“There really aren’t that many people supporting ‘Yoon Again.’ They are trying to broaden the appeal of their content by using visually flashy messengers.”
This is why some are calling it “political phishing,” similar to voice phishing scams.

Professor Lee Jun-han, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Incheon National University:
“By promoting the image that women in their 20s and 30s support ‘Yoon Again,’ they are clearly trying to spread that perception even to older age groups and moderates.”
For now, internet users are still sharp enough to expose many of these fake accounts.
But experts warn this is not something to dismiss lightly.
As AI-generated images become increasingly sophisticated, failing to address this kind of “political phishing” could lead to social confusion and distortions of public opinion.