South Korean police have arrested a man for distributing an AI-generated image of a wolf that escaped from a zoo, delaying the frantic search.
The two-year-old male wolf, Neukgu, escaped its enclosure in Daejeon on April 8 and remained on the run for nine days before being recaptured.
Authorities widely shared an image of a light-brown wolf trotting through an intersection, which was later confirmed to be fake and created using artificial intelligence.
Daejeon Metropolitan police arrested a man in his 40s on charges of obstructing official duties by deception for distributing the fabricated AI images. The man admitted to the charges, stating he did it "just for fun."
Police reported that the AI-manipulated image delayed the wolf's capture, leading to the prolonged deployment of police and fire personnel, which disrupted their primary duties.
Neukgu's escape prompted a local elementary school to close due to safety concerns. Hundreds of personnel, along with drones and thermal cameras, were deployed to track the animal.
He was eventually recaptured on April 17 after a tip led authorities to a park sighting. An analysis later confirmed the AI-generated image was inauthentic.