Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True — Fact checking at the speed of likes since 2015

Fact Check: Proposed 'Anti-discrimination Act' Did NOT Include 'Homosexuality Education' Or 'Ladies' Restroom Access For Anyone Who Claims To Be A Woman'

Fact Check

Did a proposed bill named 'Anti-discrimination Act' mandate 'homosexuality education' and 'unlimited access to ladies' restrooms for those who claim to be women?' No, that's not true: There was no related article in the bill. In addition, the bill did not pass and 'expired' when the Parliament term during which it was proposed ended. The claim originated from a video…

Fact Check: A Tea Made With Bitter Melon Does NOT Cure Diabetes

Fact Check

Can drinking tea made with bitter melon "make diabetes disappear" because of some specific substances it contains? No, that's not true: While the tropical vine has been linked to lowering blood sugar, it cannot cure diabetes. There is currently no permanent cure for diabetes but approved treatments help manage the condition. The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here)…

Fact Check: Family Of Seven Did NOT Die From Consuming Commercially Frozen Food Stored For Nearly A Year

Fact Check

Did seven family members die from commercially frozen food that was stored for nearly a year? No, that's not true: They died from consuming frozen homemade fermented corn noodles, which contained a toxin called bongkrekic acid. The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here) published on September 21, 2024. It opened, as translated from Korean to English by Lead…

Fact Check: Emergency Room Doctors CAN Refuse To Treat Patients On 'Justifiable Grounds' In South Korea

Fact Check

Is it true that South Korean doctors cannot refuse to treat patients who are already in a hospital's emergency room? No, that's not true: Emergency medical personnel can reject a patient in the ER if there are "justifiable grounds." The claim appeared in a video (archived here) that was published on TikTok, on September 7, 2024, under the title "응급실…

Fact Check: US VP Harris Did NOT Say She Is In Favor Of South Korea Having Nuclear Weapons

Fact Check

Did Kamala Harris say she approves South Korea to have nuclear weapons? No, that's not true: The U.S. vice president, who is campaigning for the 2024 U.S. presidency, stressed, instead, the importance of a "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok on July 31, 2024, under the Korean title "[속보]…

Fact Check: Cucumber Water Does NOT Prevent Dementia Or Alzheimer's Disease

Fact Check

Does cucumber water prevent dementia or Alzheimer's disease because it contains a specific component called fisetin? No, that's not true: No scientific evidence suggests that cucumber and cucumber water can prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here) which was published on August 28, 2024. It opened, as translated from Korean to English by…

Fact Check: K-Pop Group BLACKPINK Member Jennie Was NOT Replaced By Soloist Rosalía

Fact Check

Did YG Entertainment release a statement regarding K-Pop Group BLACKPINK member Jennie officially leaving the group and being replaced with a new soloist, Rosalia? No, that's not true: The agency, which manages the band as a group, has not released any statement regarding BLACKPINK member Jennie's departure. The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) published on June 29,…

Fact Check: K-Pop Group TripleS Member Kim Na Kyoung Is NOT An Olympic Badminton Player And Did NOT Win Gold At The 2024 Paris Games

Fact Check

Is K-Pop group tripleS member Kim Na Kyoung an Olympic badminton player who won the gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics? No, that's not true: There is no evidence on the official Olympics website to suggest that tripleS member Kim Na Kyoung competed in the Olympics as a badminton player, as she is not part of the national team.…

Fact Check: Former First Lady Kim Jeong Sook Did NOT Steal Clothing From 2018 Diplomatic Visit To India

Fact Check

Did former First Lady Kim Jeong Sook steal clothing from her diplomatic visit to India in 2018? No, that's not true: former First Lady Kim Jeong Sook altered the sari she was gifted by the former First Lady of India Savita Kovind into a blouse and wore it to a diplomatic luncheon with Kovind in 2018. The claim appeared in…

Fact Check: Former First Lady Kim Jung-sook Did NOT Spend 62 Million Won On Her In-flight Meals During 2018 India Visit

Fact Check

Did former South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook spend 62.92 million won on her in-flight meals during her visit to India in 2018? No, that's not true: The total cost covered in-flight meals charges for 50 members of the delegation, including freight and refrigeration costs. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok, on…

Fact Check: GFRIEND's Disbandment And Hand Sign In ILLIT's Song Are NO Evidence HYBE Is Related To Cult

Fact Check

Did multinational entertainment company HYBE disband GFRIEND, a girl pop group, on a specific date with a particular meaning - May 1, 2021, - and is this proof, along with other signs in songs of other HYBE artists such as ILLIT, that they are related to a cult called 'Dahn World'? No, that's not true: GFRIEND was not disbanded on…

Fact Check: President Yoon's Government Did NOT Announce It Would Hand Over Dokdo Island To Japan

Fact Check

Did President Yoon Seok Yeol's government announce that they will hand over Dokdo (Takeshima Island) to Japan? No, that's not true: Dokdo Island remains an integral part of South Korean territory, and there was no evidence of President Yoon's administration announcing the handover of the long-disputed territory to Japan. The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) published on…

Fact Check: Half-Cut Control Number On Ballot Is NOT Evidence Of Rigged Election In South Korea

Fact Check

Did the South Korean government rig the 2024 parliamentary election because ballots with half-cut control numbers were found? No, that's not true: A half-cut control number on the ballot does not signify an irregular vote. The Constitutional Court already refuted a similar claim in 2023. The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok on April 22, 2024,…

Fact Check: Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung Did NOT Pledge To Reunify Korea, Withdraw US Troops Or Unconditionally Thank China

Fact Check

Did Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung commit to pledges such as an end-of-war declaration, withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea, transition to a lower-level federal system, North Korean-style absorption reunification, dissolution of conglomerates, dismantling of churches, and unconditionally thanking China? No, that's not true: No evidence was found to suggest that Lee made such pledges on the official Democratic…

Fact Check: People Power Party Did NOT Sneak A Political Message Into An Elementary School Lunch Menu Ahead Of Election

Fact Check

Did the South Korean ruling People Power Party sneak a political message into the school lunch menu at an elementary school before the general election on April 10, 2024? No, that's not true: The local education office said it was an unintentional mistake and promptly recalled it, removing the alleged political message. An official from the Gyeonggido Office of Education…

Fact Check: Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun Did NOT Grant Voting Rights To Chinese People 'To Favor Liberals'

Fact Check

Did former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun grant voting rights to Chinese people intending to favor liberals? No that's not true: The concept of granting voting rights to foreigners in local elections originated from diplomatic pressure exerted on Japan. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) which was published on TikTok by @issuepoint (archived here), on March 25, 2024,…

Fact Check: Wrong Coffee Habits Do NOT Increase The Risk Of Cancer By 200%

Fact Check

Can bad coffee habits increase the risk of cancer by 200 percent? No, that's not true: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) stated coffee was not classified as carcinogenic to humans, and no evidence was found that consuming coffee in certain ways could lead to such an increase in the risk of…

Fact Check: South Korean Government Did NOT Give Certificate Of Appreciation To Controversial Pastor Who Hoisted Japanese Flag

Fact Check

Did South Korea's current government give a certificate of appreciation to the pastor who hoisted a Japanese flag out of his window on Independence Movement Day? No, that's not true: the certificate was given for the pastor's previous fundraising activity on behalf of candidate Yoon Suk-yeol who was elected president in 2022, and it was not given for raising a…

Fact Check: Eating Eggplants Does NOT Prevent Colorectal Cancer

Fact Check

Are eggplants the best food for killing colorectal cancer (CRC)? No, that's not true: no evidence suggests that consuming eggplant can prevent colorectal cancer. The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) published by user @livinggenius_on March 12, 2024. The caption in Korean, as translated into English by Lead Stories staff, reads : The best food that kills all…

Fact Check: Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung Did NOT Reveal His Pro-China Views In Campaign Speech

Fact Check

Did Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung reveal his pro-China views in his March 22, 2024, speech? No, that's not true: His words were taken out of context and were part of a wider reasoning on diplomatic isolationism. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by @user4688440191613 (archived here) on March 24, 2024. It opened with a quote…