Korean-language social media posts have repeatedly shared two pictures alongside a false claim they show thousands of origami cranes sent by Japanese well-wishers to Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated the country in February 2023. The photos were in fact taken years ago and show the paper cranes collected from memorials across Japan by a non-profit organisation for recycling.

"Paper cranes sent by Japanese people to Turkey," reads a Korean-language caption to a post shared here on Facebook on February 13, 2023.

The two photos shared alongside the post appear to show multi-coloured objects wrapped up in plastic bags and a bale of coloured paper being forklifted.

Screengrab of the false post, taken February 14, 2023.

Paper cranes have been created for centuries in Japan, where they symbolise longevity.

They have a particularly strong association with the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, where the origami birds folded out of various brightly coloured papers can be seen hanging around the Peace Memorial Park as a symbol of peace.

The claim surfaced after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked areas of Turkey and Syria on February 6, with the death toll exceeding 41,000 as of February 17.

Japan was among the many nations sending aid and rescue personnel to Turkey, dispatching its Japan Disaster Relief Rescue Team to the country, AFP reported.

Non-governmental organisations in Japan also received millions of yen in donations and shipped relief...

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