Seoul, Feb 17 The South Korean presidential office said on Monday that it has requested police to investigate YouTubers who uploaded and aired a deep fake video of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee.
The office said it filed a complaint against two YouTube channel operators behind the video for allegedly violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
One of the individuals is accused of broadcasting the video during a rally calling for Yoon's ouster in Gwangju, about 300 kilometres south of Seoul, on Saturday, while the other allegedly posted the video multiple times on YouTube.
"The actions of the accused are not only clear violations of the law, but they also victimize the Republic of Korea's head of state and his spouse and publicly defame them," the office said, referring to South Korea's official name.
"(We) emphasise that the production and distribution of false video products are serious criminal acts that cannot be accepted and urge for a thorough investigation," it added.
Separately, the presidential office filed another complaint against a YouTuber who posted a video raising suspicions of a shamanic ritual taking place at the presidential office on charges of defamation by falsehood, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, the South Korean interim leader of the ruling People Power Party rejected speculation that President Yoon Suk Yeol may voluntarily resign before a ruling on his impeachment trial, calling such a move unrealistic and inappropriate.
Kwon Young-se made the remarks during a debate forum hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists, when asked about the possibility of Yoon voluntarily stepping down amid concerns his impeachment ruling could trigger clashes between political factions.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly had voted to impeach Yoon after his shocking, though brief, imposition of martial law on December 3. He had been indicted on charges of leading an insurrection and had been arrested.
Yoon was also alleged to have sent military troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting down the martial law declaration and to have planned to arrest key political figures.
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