A Filipino Facebook (FB) page claimed that South Korea is currently directing its missiles towards China. This is not true.
On Feb. 21, the page published a video with this erroneous headline: “NAGKATUTUKAN NA!! South Korea NAKATUTOK NA ANG MISSILE Sa PWERSA NG CHINA (Aiming at each other! South Korea’s missile is now aimed at China’s forces)!”
Carrying a thumbnail that shows a 2018 Associated Press image featuring an unrelated photo of German soldiers firing missiles in Greece, and a picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping shown beside it, the video narrator cited a Reuters article to prove its claim on the “recent” tensions between the two countries.
This is a clickbait. The video cited a 2017 Reuters news article about Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticizing South Korea’s decision to use a U.S. missile system to defend against North Korea. There are no recent news reports related to South Korea’s act of aggression against China.
Some netizens also noticed the video’s sensational title. “This is fake news. You’re making up a war, what nonsense!,” one said.
This video appeared amid the heightened tensions between the Philippines and China after a Chinese ship pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippines Coast Guard vessel in the South China Sea.
The incident was among the “concerning developments” the defense chiefs of the U.S. and the Philippines discussed in a recent call aimed at deepening security cooperation between the two allies.
FB page Terong explained (created on Oct. 6, 2015) published the video, garnering over 16,000 reactions, 960 comments, 670 shares and 574,000 views. It was also published on its YouTube channel with the same name and received more than 1,200 interactions and 42,000 views.
VERA Files Fact Check has debunked another claim made by this FB page earlier this month. (Read NO China warning it will shoot down US aircraft entering South China Sea)
Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to ‘VERA, the truth bot’ on Viber.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)