ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Hallyuwood devider Fake Brad Pitt photo in Seoul fools netizens, sparks media frenzy

Fake Brad Pitt photo in Seoul fools netizens, sparks media frenzy

Published May 12, 2026 09:16 am  |  Updated May 12, 2026 05:57 pm
Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin (right) with Brad Pitt in Bukchon Hanok Village in an AI-generated photo (Instagram)
Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin (right) with Brad Pitt in Bukchon Hanok Village in an AI-generated photo (Instagram)

A photo appearing to show Brad Pitt strolling through Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village sparked buzz online after it was shared by Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin — but the image later turned out to be AI-generated.

Jeong initially posted the photo on Instagram with the caption: “To think I met ‘bread-hyung’ in the alleys of Bukchon. Amazing!” The post quickly drew attention from Korean media outlets and netizens, fueling speculation that Pitt had quietly visited South Korea.

However, on May 11, Jeong clarified that the image was created using artificial intelligence.

“I am posting this explanation because so many people are asking if he visited Korea after seeing the Bukchon photos,” he wrote. “To start with the conclusion, this is an image generated by AI.”

The actor said he originally uploaded the photo to highlight how realistic AI-generated images have become. According to Jeong, he was alarmed by how accurately the technology could recreate real people and locations.

He added that he did not expect the image to spread widely or become the subject of news reports.

Jeong later criticized local media outlets for describing his clarification as “late,” arguing that reporters had taken content from his personal social media account without verification.

“The most absurd part is that it was reporters who took my feed without permission and turned it into an article,” he wrote, accusing some outlets of prioritizing sensational headlines over fact-checking.

He also warned about the dangers of misinformation fueled by AI-generated content, saying the incident showed how quickly unverified information could spread online.

Pitt previously visited South Korea in 2022 to promote a film.

Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin (Instagram)
Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin (Instagram)
Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul (Jonathan HIcap)
Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul (Jonathan HIcap)
Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin (right) with Brad Pitt in Bukchon Hanok Village in an AI-generated photo (Instagram)
Korean actor Jeong Yoonmin (right) with Brad Pitt in Bukchon Hanok Village in an AI-generated photo (Instagram)
Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul (Jonathan HIcap)
Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul (Jonathan HIcap)

Related Tags

Brad Pitt South Korea Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul AI generated photo
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.