FACT CHECK: No, This Footage Does Not Show Gunfire Over South Korea

A post on X claims to show aerial gunfire in South Korea as a result of President Yoon Suk Yeol declaring martial law.

Breaking 🚨: South Korea president declares emergency martial law, says measure necessary to protect country from North’s “communist forces.” pic.twitter.com/jS3os5nVrW

— AG (@AGCast4) December 3, 2024

Verdict: False

The footage is from the video game Arma 3.

Fact Check:

On December 3rd, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country during an address broadcast live on local television. The decree, which was lifted later in the day after political pressure, was intended to neutralize “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces.”

Although no violence has been shown to have taken place in the time before the decree was lifted, social media was rife with videos that showed military action in progress. One post on X purports to show a plane flying through the air as some sort of land-based weapon attempts to shoot it down from below. It is unclear where the video takes place as it is shot in the dead of night, and eventually the unmarked plane starts shooting back.

This footage is not real, however. It is footage from the video game ‘Arma 3.”

A community note has been placed on the viral post, giving users the proper context. The original poster, “AGCast24,” claims to be based in Russia and states they are a “gamer” in their bio. The user says they like to make videos about “3D printed guns disguised as meme videos.”

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