U.S. to Collaborate with South Korea and Japan in Countering Disinformation

The United States is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with South Korea and Japan, marking its first agreement with Asian allies to combat false propaganda and disinformation. This initiative follows U.S. accusations against the People’s Republic of China for conducting deceptive online campaigns, a claim China has denied.

Liz Allen, the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, will finalize the agreement during her Asia visit. The decision for this collaboration was reinforced after talks between U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at their first trilateral summit at Camp David in August.

The South Korean Embassy confirmed ongoing discussions for follow-up measures with the U.S., following President Yoon’s address to the U.S. Congress in April, highlighting the threat from disinformation. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul also condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s deceptive online campaigns.

South Korea has identified 38 suspected fake news websites, believed to be operated by Chinese companies. The State Department’s Global Engagement Center’s report in September accused China of attempting to control the flow of critical information globally. In response, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted these claims, labeling the GEC as a center of “perception warfare.”

The U.S. has previously signed similar memorandums with North Macedonia and Bulgaria, aiming to strengthen cooperation in countering foreign information manipulation.