The South Korean police have arrested a man for distributing an AI-generated image of an escaped wolf, disrupting the authorities' search.

The police in Daejeon, South Korea, arrested a man in his 40s, accused of disrupting the search for a wolf that escaped from a zoo. He created and distributed a fake photograph, generated by artificial intelligence, claiming to show Neukgu, the missing wolf, near an intersection.

The image was broadcast a few hours after the wolf's disappearance, prompting authorities to urgently change their search strategy. Neukgu, two years old, was captured after nine days of searching. The police identified the suspect through analysis of images from surveillance cameras and the use of artificial intelligence software.

The man stated that he acted "for fun." Authorities are investigating him for disrupting government activities, a crime that can lead to a sentence of up to five years in prison or a fine of 10 million Korean won.