Japanese ex top figure skater died in Gangnam? "Fake news" from Youtube go beyond = Korean coverage

Mao Asada, a Japanese former female single figure skater who has been living a quiet life, occasionally appearing on Japanese TV programs after retiring in 2017 and doing farm work. Why was she wrapped up in a sudden "death theory"?

The news that she died suddenly spread online on July 17th. The source of the rumors is the YouTube channel "K News".

On the afternoon of 17th, K News released a video titled "[Breaking News] Mao Asada found in an apartment in Seoul Gangnam. Kim Yuna, who sheds tears, eventually goes to the emergency room of Seoul University Hospital."The story is that Ms. Asada committed suicide at her home in Gangnam, Seoul, and was taken to the emergency center of Seoul University Hospital, but died in the end.

The video included that Yoo Jae-suk, Lim Young Woong, Miki Ando, Kim Yuna and other skaters visited the funeral hall. 2 hours later, an additional video uploaded to the channel added that Japanese Prime Minister Kishida visited the Hospital.

The channel recorded 500,000 views in just a day on 17th with such fake news. On the other hand, the real-time search terms of various SNS and online communities have a phenomenon that "Mao Asada" is ranked in the upper ranks, and "rumor" level fake news such as her naturalization to South Korea and Pregnant rumor is rampant.

However, the content of this video is clearly a lie. Currently, Ms. Asada is in Japan and is working on preparations for the ice show "BEYOND" to be held in September this year. She held an ice show-related press conference on 5th, and on the afternoon of 17th, she also uploaded a teaser video of the ice show to her Instagram.

Despite the fact that many people are affected by such false facts, it turns out that it is difficult to apply Korean law to such fake news. This is because Youtube, a Google service, is an overseas company. Therefore, it is not easy to regulate, and YouTube users are exposed to fake news.

YouTube currently manages content according to community guides such as △ spam and misleading behavior, △ sensitive content, △ violent and dangerous content, △ regulated products, and △ false information. However, the structure is such that the video is uploaded first and then examined, and the situation is insufficient to remove the problematic content.

On this day, many internet users pressed the "declare" button to prevent K News from generating revenue, but there is still a video about Ms. Asada's death theory.

Regarding this, Internet users responded, "It is blatantly spreading fake news", "I'm so embarrassed," "Is it a prank on human life?" and "I want Mao Asada to sue."