South Korean authorities mounted a widespread search for a wolf that escaped from a zoo in Daejeon, deploying hundreds of officers, drones, and thermal cameras after a viral image appeared online. The image, which showed the wolf wandering through a city intersection, was widely circulated by government agencies and media outlets, leading to safety alerts and school closures. However, subsequent analysis by AFP and experts confirmed the image was fabricated using artificial intelligence, highlighting the potential dangers of deepfake and AI-generated content in public safety responses.

The false image originated from a social media post and was initially believed to be a real sighting, prompting a large-scale investigation including emergency alerts and extensive field searches. The actual scene was captured through street view imagery, revealing discrepancies such as perspective distortions and inconsistent landmarks that exposed the image as AI-generated. Experts warned that such technologies could undermine emergency efforts and spread misinformation, emphasizing the need for vigilant verification of digital content in crisis situations.