Multiple Korean-language social media posts shared in April 2022 claim that authorities in New York City "transformed a dying Chinatown into Koreatown". The posts shared purported photos of Chinatown before and after the development. But a New York City Council spokesperson told AFP that Chinatown had not been replaced, adding that the authorities had no plan to redevelop it. AFP geolocated the two photos in the posts to two distinct neighbourhoods in New York City.

"The surprising changes after the US transformed a dying Chinatown into Koreatown," reads the Korean-language claim, shared on Facebook here on April 5, 2022.

The post shows two photos -- the left-hand image shows a deserted street with traditional Chinese-language signs, while the right-hand image shows a bustling urban scene.

A screenshot of the misleading claim on Facebook. Captured April 14, 2022.

The posts shared a link to an article on Postshare, a South Korean-based news site.

The article claims that Chinatown became a "ghost town" due to growing crime rates and the Covid-19 pandemic, which it links to a supposed influx of Chinese people.

It goes on to say US government authorities -- including New York's governor -- transformed Chinatown into Koreatown, after which the neighbourhood regained "a cleaner city atmosphere".

The same article was shared alongside a similar claim on Facebook here, here and here.

Comments on these posts suggest some social media users were misled. "See here, we [Koreans] are...

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