(C) Treads
The Rise of the "Yoon-Again" Accounts
In recent weeks, South Korean social media platforms—particularly Meta’s Threads and Instagram—have been flooded with a peculiar trend. Dozens of accounts featuring photos of young, attractive women have appeared, all broadcasting fervent support for President Yoon Suk-yeol. These accounts frequently use the slogan "Yoon-Again," accompanied by captions such as, "President Yoon, I respect and love you," or "We are here for you, Yoon-Again."
At first glance, these profiles appear to belong to 20- and 30-something professionals: flight attendants in uniform, influencers at luxury golf courses, fashion models, and film critics. They post a mix of "daily life" photos—bikini shots, cafe visits, and workouts—interspersed with aggressive political manifestos. However, a deep dive into these accounts has revealed a disturbing reality: the identities are fake, and the photos are stolen.
Victims Speak Out: "My Face is Being Used for Politics"
The controversy erupted when the actual owners of the photos began discovering their images being used to promote political agendas they do not support.
One high-profile victim includes Seong Hae-eun, a former flight attendant and popular cast member of the hit dating show Transit Love 2. A "Yoon-Again" account used her past photos from her airline days to claim she was a staunch supporter of the administration. Similar cases involve shopping mall models whose commercial photos were captioned with far-right slogans like "Destroy Communism" (Myeol-gong).
"It is beyond absurd to see my face used for political issues I have nothing to do with," said one victim, who requested anonymity. "I am heading to the police station. These people seem to think they can use anyone's life to validate their own political delusions."
Traces Leading Overseas: A Sophisticated Operation?
Investigation into these "Yoon-Again" accounts suggests that this may not be the work of lone fans, but rather a coordinated effort.
Many of these profiles show signs of inconsistency; one account might use photos of three different women across its feed, claiming they are all the same person. More tellingly, checking the "About this account" feature on Instagram reveals that many of these profiles are being accessed from locations like Cambodia rather than South Korea.
Experts warn that this pattern mirrors the tactics used in "Romance Scams" or illegal investment "Reading Rooms." By creating a persona of a young, patriotic, and approachable woman, these operators gain the trust of older, politically active male users. This trust is then weaponized—either to spread political misinformation or to eventually lure victims into financial scams.
Legal Consequences: More Than Just a Prank
Legal experts in South Korea emphasize that these actions constitute serious violations of several laws.
1. Civil Liability and Image Rights
According to Kim Ji-soo, an attorney at Yeo-an Law Firm, "Using someone’s photo without permission is a fundamental violation of portrait rights (publicity rights). In South Korea, courts have awarded damages ranging from 1 million to 7 million KRW (approx. $750 to $5,200) for general identity theft. If the theft involves distorting the person’s image through political or social labels, the mental distress compensation (solatium) could be significantly higher."
2. The Stalking Punishment Act
Interestingly, the revised Stalking Punishment Act now provides a more direct criminal path for prosecution. Park Jae-hun, an attorney at White Law Firm, explained: "The law now classifies the act of impersonating someone by using their name, photo, or identity through telecommunications networks as a form of 'stalking.' If the victim feels anxiety or fear because someone is pretending to be them—for example, a non-flight attendant pretending to be a specific flight attendant to post political vitriol—it is a punishable criminal offense."
3. Personal Information Protection
Furthermore, using commercial photos (like those from shopping malls) for political purposes violates the Personal Information Protection Act, as the consent given by the model for commercial use does not extend to political campaigning.
A Divided Society in the Crosshairs
The "Yoon-Again" phenomenon highlights the extreme polarization of the Korean political landscape. On social media, users have reacted with a mix of anger and exhaustion.
"I've seen these accounts. They target older men by using photos of young women to make their political movement seem 'hip' and widely supported," one user commented. Another noted, "There are rumors in far-right group chats that they brag about creating dozens of these fake accounts a day to 'win' the digital war."
As victims prepare for collective legal action, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of the digital age. In a world where an image can be stolen in a click, the line between genuine political expression and coordinated identity fraud has become dangerously thin.
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