Conspiracy theory about NEC, Chinese spies and U.S. military catches fire on the right
A report alleging that 90 individuals were confined at the National Election Commission (NEC)'s training institute during the short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3 morphed into a baseless conspiracy theory claiming they were Chinese spies and were deported to a U.S. military base.
Despite denials from the NEC, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and police, the fake news spread rapidly, fueled by right-wing media, YouTubers and political figures — highlighting the struggles of fighting against the rapid spread of misinformation.
Bae Jin-han, President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyer, claimed during Yoon's second impeachment hearing last Thursday that these individuals "were transferred to a U.S. military base in Okinawa" in Japan and "confessed to election interference," reference speculation of meddling in Korea's 2020 general election and the manipulation of results to favor left-leaning parties.
Former Constitutional Court Justice Cho Dae-hyun, another member of Yoon’s defense team, echoed the claims, asserting that martial law was necessary to combat “domestic and international communist leftist forces plotting election fraud to seize power in the National Assembly" — the conspiracy theories, originally propagated by some right-wing YouTubers, now reaching the impeachment trial.
Responding to media inquiries, USFK said claims about U.S. military involvement were "entirely false," highlighting that it is committed to "maintaining stability and security on the Korean Peninsula."
Military sources also confirmed that no Chinese individuals were detained or involved, and the National Police Agency, currently investigating the Dec. 3 martial law incident, reiterated the allegations were “completely unfounded.”
During the impeachment trial on Thursday, Bae Jin-han, a lawyer representing the president, claimed, “The National Election Commission's (NEC) password ‘12345’ for its electronic system appears to be a connection code between China’s central and local governments, as if it were designed to grant access through China.”
Yoon’s legal team justified the necessity of declaring martial law to “take control of the NEC and resolve election fraud suspicions,” pointing to these claims as evidence.

Yoon and his supporters are nuts, they really want to kick off WWIII. First they tried to false flag an attack on Americans soldiers during the martial law period and blame it on the North Koreans. Now, they claim during the impeachment trial that 90 or 99 Chinese spies were apprehended during the martial law period and got deported to a US military base in Japan.