“We are seriously concerned” — YG Entertainment starts legal proceedings against the creation and dissemination of explicit deepfakes of their artists

On September 2, 2024, YG Entertainment, the agency behind popular K-pop acts such as BLACKPINK and BABYMONSTER, issued a statement. They revealed that they have begun actively monitoring and pursuing legal action against creating and distributing inappropriate deepfake content involving their artists.

This move comes in response to a growing crisis in South Korea, which has been described as a deepfake p**nogr*phy "emergency" by the BBC on August 28.

Recently, numerous Telegram chat rooms suspected of producing and spreading deepfake explicit material featuring doctored images of women have been uncovered, sparking widespread fear and outrage throughout the country.

Alarmingly, reports indicate that some of these chat groups are also distributing deepfake p**nogra*hy featuring K-pop idols, including members of BLACKPINK, TWICE, ITZY, and even groups with underage members such as BABYMONSTER and ILLIT. Expressing their concern, YG Entertainment stated:

"Hello, this is YG Entertainment. We are seriously concerned about the ongoing creation and circulation of inappropriate deepfake content (AI-based synthetic videos) involving our artists. We are continuously monitoring these extensive and malicious illegal activities, actively working to remove and block such content."

The label also emphasized their commitment to ensuring no harm to their artists' reputations or dignity.

"We are also pursuing all possible legal measures, including criminal proceedings, to address these issues. We are committed to firmly and rigorously responding to any illegal acts that significantly harm the dignity and reputation of our artists."

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K-pop labels YG and JYP announce legal action in response to rising digital s*x crimes in South Korea

For the unversed, deepfakes are digitally manipulated videos or images created using artificial intelligence, typically merging the face of a real person with a fabricated body.

YG Entertainment's announcement came shortly after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called for a thorough investigation into digital s*x crimes, specifically targeting deepfakes on August 27, 2024.

JYP Entertainment, another major label representing artists like TWICE, and ITZY also declared its intention to take legal action. It is done to protect the artists from what is described as one of the most notorious digital crimes currently unfolding. They stated:

“This is a blatant violation of the law, and we are in the process of collecting all relevant evidence to pursue the strongest legal action with a leading law firm, without leniency.”

According to The Korea Herald's report on September 2, South Korea's National Police Agency (KNPA) is investigating Telegram for allegedly enabling the spread of AI-generated explicit content, including images of minors.

"In light of these crimes, the Seoul National Police Agency launched their probe last week... for abetting the crimes. Telegram has been non-responsive to our previous requests for account information during investigations of earlier Telegram-linked crimes," KNPA investigations chief Woo Jong-soo told reporters as per DW.

Recently, the police of South Korea have received 88 reports of deepfake p**nog**phy in just one week and have identified 24 suspects linked to these cases.

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According to The Guardian's August 28 report, the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol has launched an initiative to combat the surge in digital s*x crimes following a sharp rise in reported cases, with 297 incidents recorded in the first half of the year, almost doubling previous year’s figures.