South Korean police have arrested a 40-year-old man for creating and distributing an AI-generated image that misled authorities searching for a wolf that escaped from a zoo in Daejeon city.

The suspect allegedly produced a fake photo purporting to show Neukgu, the wolf, trotting down a road intersection. The image was circulated hours after Neukgu went missing on April 8, prompting authorities to urgently relocate their search operation.

The hunt for two-year-old Neukgu captivated the nation before he was finally caught near an expressway last week, nine days after his escape. The AI-generated image had prompted Daejeon city government to issue an emergency text to residents and use it in a press briefing.

Police identified the suspect after reviewing security camera footage and his AI program usage records. When questioned, the man allegedly said he did it "for fun."

He is being investigated for disrupting government work by deception, an offense carrying up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($6,700).

Neukgu, born in 2024, is part of O-World zoo's program to restore the Korean wolf, now extinct in the wild. Since his safe return, the city has seen a Neukgu craze, with a local bakery selling pastries featuring his face and officials considering naming him an official mascot.

Source: www.bbc.com