Thai PBS Verify identified the source from: Facebook
‘Army Military Force’ page posted images, claiming that South Korean netizens were sharing pictures alleging police had arrested Cambodian protesters.
Thai PBS Verify found that the Facebook page “Army Military Force” posted the images with a caption stating that
“Latest reports indicate that South Korean netizens are sharing photos of South Korean police arresting Cambodian illegal workers, with the caption ‘Illegal Cambodian workers came out to protest for justice for their country (Cambodia), and along with a group of approximately 12 protesters, were arrested by police this morning.'”
Initially, the police leveled three charges, which are
1. Charge of illegal immigration
2. Charge of working without authorization
3. Charge of disturbing public order and causing unrest
Furthermore, the South Korean police were allegedly preparing to refer the said Cambodian illegal worker for indictment in the High Court, with an expected sentence of ‘no less than 10 years imprisonment.'”
The image showed South Korean police controlling a protester who was holding a Cambodian national flag. That post received over 24,000 reactions and was shared more than 2,100 times. In addition to that post, the image was also found to be shared across various online media, including by famous influencers.
Screenshots showing the online media’s post (left) and the news post from the famous influencer (right)
The “real event image” was used with the “AI image”
According to the verification, this image using Google Lens we found that it matched an incident on August 3, 2025, which was a protest by Cambodian workers in Seoul, South Korea, demanding that Thailand release 18 Cambodian soldiers detained during a clash between the two countries.
A screenshot showing the Google Lens search result, which matches a clip of the Cambodian workers’ protest in South Korea.
Upon comparing the image from the post with a picture published by the Cambodian Facebook user named Seang Sambath on August 3, 2025, it was found that the two images share identical details, especially the two buildings on the right side of the frame.
Image from the fake post (Left) compared with the image from a Cambodian Facebook user who posted the protest picture on August 3, 2025 (Right).
We also verified the location in the event by utilizing landmarks within the Cambodian user’s image, eventually spotting a sign bearing the name OSIM on a building in the picture. When we cross-referenced the name on the sign using keywords, we found it matched a massage chair company with a branch in Seoul, South Korea. After that, we took the address found on the company’s website and searched for it using Naver Maps, a South Korean location-finding application. This search revealed that the spot where the protesters were located is in front of the “Seoul Government Complex“. So, this confirms that,
The incident took place on August 3, 2025, and was not an event that occurred today (October 17, 2025), as claimed.
The image from the Cambodian user’s post on October 3, 2025 (Top) is compared with the image from Naver Map (Bottom) and shows the OSIM company building in Seoul, South Korea.
Google map
The actual map example is an AI-generated image.
Furthermore, when the image was analyzed using the AI image detection tool from the Sightengine website, the results showed that 99% of it was created by AI.
The results from the image verification tool showed that the image was created by AI.
Academic points to an era of Hate-Generating News.
Associate Professor Asawin Nedpogaeo, Dean of the School of Communication Arts and Innovation Management, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), offered his opinion that, “Currently, a segment of Thai society is largely driven by emotion, to consume and seek information to satisfy or mitigate their current state, which has caused the socio-cultural atmosphere in Thailand over the past two to three months to be clearly overshadowed by cultural hatred towards our neighboring country, ‘Cambodia.’ If asked whether this phenomenon is concerning, yes, it is. Furthermore, the origin of this matter stems from a conservative foundation that has been leaning this way for some time now. This means that before this, the general political atmosphere in Thailand was predominantly democratic, but upon reaching a point of conflict where no resolution could be found, it led to the military seizing power. In managing conflict and intervening politically, by utilizing the conservative strategy that has always led politics for at least the past 10 years, it is considered that the country has fundamentally been swayed toward the conservative current.”
Associate Professor Asawin Nedpogaeo, Dean of the School of Communication Arts and Innovation Management, National Institute of Development Administration.
However, this year featured an added element was the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia around the middle of this year was further compounded by nationalism. Therefore, what we currently observe is a form of social expression that is clearly influenced by an emotional state where conservatism and nationalism are intertwined. So, it is evident that at this time, any issue or news related to Cambodia or ‘Khmer’ instantly attracts the attention of a considerable number of people, who then readily consume that news. This is because it seems to reinforce the existing desire to consume news or stories about the currently conflicting neighbor.
The current news appetite is neither normal nor based on critical judgment. Instead, consumers have an agenda that wants to find the news that reinforces their fundamental emotions, sense of self, or national identity, which is currently felt among this large group of people. This is evident when any dissenting or contradictory voice immediately faces severe public shaming, being clearly accused of not being Thai or not loving Thailand, and is instantly crushed by these forces.
For this reason, it shows that there is an existing agenda that if the information relates to Khmer or Cambodia, it must be presented in opposition to Thailand, meaning it must be portrayed as worse or inferior to reflect that Thailand must win or be superior in this situation. Therefore, the current situation is no longer confined to the border, as border tensions do not occur daily. But it has spread outward into the wider society. This is evident from the way news related to Korea is pulled in to relate to various Cambodian issues. Moving forward, regardless of where an event occurs globally, if it is damaging news concerning Cambodia, there is a readiness to elevate that information into news or draw people in to consume it.
From a communication perspective, this means there is a segment of the population already primed to receive this type of information, enabling the media, including mass media, online media, and influencers, to readily participate in this game. This involves feeding this information because they already know the high level of interest will translate into corresponding likes and shares on social media. This point is equally dangerous. If we consider consciousness, Thai identity, and future co-existence, this incident severely and clearly reflects our current feelings towards the opposing party.
What is the truth?
The image used in the post is authentic and shows an event on August 3, 2025, where Cambodian workers in South Korea held a peaceful protest demanding that Thailand release 18 Cambodian soldiers who had been detained following a border clash.
During that period, there were no reports of arrests of illegal workers or the filing of any charges, nor was there any information from South Korean media or official agencies confirming that the workers in the clip or image were arrested or sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, as the post claimed.
Meanwhile, the location of the event was confirmed to be in front of the Seoul Government Complex by cross-referencing a genuine map and details of a shop in the image, which matched the OSIM company in South Korea. Regarding the image used in the post, it was found that some parts of the picture were created by AI, and analysis using the Sightengine tool indicated that 99% of it was AI-generated, not entirely a genuine picture of the actual event. So, it can be concluded that the news is a distortion of the facts.
