Mockery of independence activists sparks concerns ahead of Provisional Government anniversary

An image suggesting a fabricated sexual relationship between independence activists Yu Gwan-sun and Ahn Jung-geun. Captured from Sungshin Women's University professor Seo Kyoung-duk's social media

Social media posts mocking Korean independence activists have gone viral, sparking widespread outrage over artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content being used to mock historical figures.

The backlash came on the occasion of Saturday's 107th anniversary of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, founded in Shanghai in 1919 to lead the resistance against 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

In one clip on TikTok, a train bearing the face of Ahn Jung-geun fills with foul gas as passengers writhe in agony. Ahn assassinated Japan's Resident-General Ito Hirobumi in 1909, an act that directly precipitated Japan's full annexation of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty the following year. In another clip, Ahn is depicted passing gas with enough force to launch himself into space.

Images of a train bearing the face of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun. Captured from Sungshin Women's University professor Seo Kyoung-duk's social media

Other denigrating content beyond the AI-generated videos has also emerged. One video displays a photo of Yu Gwan-sun, a teenage activist who led independence rallies against Japanese rule and died in prison at 17, alongside a caption calling her “someone who stirred people up and lived well on her own.” Another features a photo of Yun Bong-gil, who detonated a bomb targeting Japanese officials at a commemoration in Shanghai in 1932, with a caption describing him as “the bastard who threw a bomb in a place where people were living well.”

There is little legal protection against such content. Under current laws, the charge of insult applies only to living individuals, and defamation of the deceased requires the assertion of false facts to be actionable, meaning much of the content ridiculing historical figures is difficult to prosecute.

Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at the School of Creative Convergence Studies at Sungshin Women's University, said the videos constitute a serious affront to Korea's national memory.

“The most egregious content I've seen sexually caricatured Yu Gwan-sun and Ahn Jung-geun by depicting them as a couple,” Seo said, adding that the videos' continued exposure and growing view counts had become a serious problem.

Seo added that such content had existed before, but has proliferated sharply as AI tools have become widely accessible to the general public.

“Individual reports to online platforms alone won't solve this. Widespread public pushback is needed to reduce exposure,” he said. “Accurate historical education matters, but so does swift action from users to report such content the moment they see it.”