K-drama actor Park Gyu Young (Celebrity, A Good Day to Be a Dog, Sweet Home, squid game season 2, is the latest victim of the extremely disturbing deepfake porn scandal sweeping the country. In light of the growing illegal cases of artificially generated video content, her agency, Saram Entertainment, released an official statement on Tuesday, stating that they would “respond to the matter with the utmost seriousness,” The Korea Times reported.
The official statement further stated, “We will continue to take a strong stance against any illegal activity involving our actors. We deeply appreciate the proactive reports and concerns from our fans.” The South Korean artist management label also includes artists such as Girls’ Generation’s Choi Soo Young, Extraordinary You actor Jang Gun Joo, Squid Game Season 1’s Jung Ho Yeon, and EXO Kitty’s Choi Mon Young, to name a few.
This disturbing trend has particularly gained momentum in the past two months when countless artists from the K-entertainment industry have been featured in apparent deepfake videos. In light of the unwarranted violation of privacy, netizens have named this unfortunate development “The New Nth Room.” Several famous female celebrities, including much-loved K-pop idols, have also been targeted, as AI is being misused to superimpose idols’ faces on uncensored content of pornographic nature.
K-pop fans are demanding strict action against this disturbing trend, which also lists younger female role models in search results.
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Other South Korean entertainment agencies set to take legal action against deepfake videos of artists
In addition to speaking out against the issue, Park Gyu Young’s company, JYP Entertainment, has recently announced its plans to initiate legal action against these disturbing AI-generated videos of TWICE members.
Their official statement, released on August 30, said: “We are deeply concerned by the recent proliferation of deepfake (AI-generated) videos involving our artists.
This is a clear violation of the law, and we are in the process of gathering all relevant evidence to take the strongest legal action possible with a leading law firm, without any leniency.
We want to make it clear that while our artists’ rights continue to be violated, we will not stand idly by, and will take decisive action to resolve this matter fully.”
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Similarly, Cube Entertainment, the agency of girl group (G)I-DLE, recently issued a similar warning. “We will take strict legal action without leniency against those who create and distribute deepfake content.”
Two days ago, YG Entertainment — home to K-pop groups BLACKPINK, BABYMONSTER, and 2NE1 — also posted an announcement in the wake of the disturbing trend of artists’ privacy being breached: “We are gravely concerned about the ongoing creation and dissemination of inappropriate deepfake content (AI-based synthetic videos) involving our artists.
We are constantly monitoring these widespread and malicious illegal activities, actively working to remove and block such content. We are also taking all possible legal measures, including criminal proceedings, to resolve these issues.
We are committed to responding firmly and strictly to any illegal acts that harm the dignity and reputation of our artistes.”
