KAIST study flags 24,000 online accounts suspected of foreign-linked influence
A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has identified about 24,000 foreign-linked accounts exhibiting behavior consistent with coordinated manipulation aimed at fueling political divisions on Korea’s largest news portal. The researchers developed a tool using artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can flag suspicious online accounts, and also…
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have uncovered approximately 24,000 foreign-linked online accounts that may be linked to coordinated efforts aimed at exacerbating political divisions in South Korea. These accounts were found to be posting messages that targeted both conservative and liberal politicians, including former and current presidents, in a manner designed to heighten tensions and confrontation.
The study, titled "Cross-National Information Attacks: A Two-Decade Analysis of Troll Behavior in Korea", was conducted by a team of KAIST professors and students, including Lee Won-jae, Cha Mee-young, and Oh Hae-yun, along with doctoral student Kim Jae-hong and master's student Kim. The findings were presented at the USENIX Security Symposium 2026, and the researchers developed an AI-powered tool to flag suspicious accounts and provide explanations for their assessments.
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