Is it the submarine Thailand recently purchased?
After Cambodia and Thailand had been debating over the origin of mutual art (Kun Khmer and Muay Thai), a photo depicting a submarine was posted on social media claiming to be a submarine which Thailand had just bought to show off to Cambodians. This claim has been widely shared by users who are Khmer-speaking. However, Fact Crescendo Cambodia found that the photos attached to this claim were false.
This is about our investigation of this claim.
Social Media Claim
On April 23, 2023, a Facebook user recently posted a photo showing a submarine and said it was a submarine that Thailand had just bought after getting angry at Cambodia about Kun Khmer martial arts. Such claims have been shared many times by social media users, along with mixed expressions and reactions as well.
The following is a screenshot image captured from the Facebook user’s post above, described in Khmer or translated in English as “Since they got mad with Cambodia on Kun Khmer, Thailand has now just bought a submarine to show off to Cambodia”.
Below is a snapshot showing a submarine with Thailand’s flag attached.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began to monitor this image and claim through Google Reverse Image Search, which led us to find out the following facts.
An exact photo of the same form and shape was found and published on a news website, The Diplomat, on November 5, 2019. The South Korean navy received the Chang Bogo-class submarine from one of the local shipbuilders.
The following is an image captured from the website above that does not confirm that the submarine is the one that Thailand just bought.
The Diplomat Link | Archived Link
The same goes for the Bemil Chosun website, published on November 1, 2019 which was written in Korean or translated into English via Google Translate that the Chang Bogo-class submarine was handed over by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine to the South Korean Navy.
Bemil Chosun Link | Archived Link
The exact photo of the submarine above was also posted on the website of the South Korean Ministry of Defense which has confirmed that the Chang Bogo-class submarine is owned by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine and handed over to the South Korean Navy on October 31, 2019.
Ministry of National Defense Link | Archived Link
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You may find the details of this fact-check in Khmer language here as well.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found that the photos posted with the above claim were false. This photo shows the Chang Bogo-class submarine handed over by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine to the South Korean navy on October 31, 2019.
