Deepfake creator for K-pop stars sentenced to 2.5 years in prison

A defendant has received a two-year and six-month prison sentence for producing and selling deepfake videos featuring Karina and Winter, members of the popular K-pop group aespa. SM Entertainment, the group's agency, announced the verdict, stating that the court also ordered the defendant to complete 80 hours of a sex offense treatment program and face a seven-year restriction on employment at child and youth-related institutions.

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The defendant, who produced and sold deepfake videos of our artists Karina and Winter for commercial purposes, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

SM Entertainment reiterated its commitment to a zero-tolerance approach against digital sex crimes and online rights infringements targeting its artists. The agency revealed that through fan reports and its own monitoring efforts, it has gathered thousands of pieces of evidence, including malicious posts and comments, from various online communities and social media platforms. This evidence has been submitted to investigative authorities, and the identities of numerous defendants have been confirmed, with investigations currently underway.

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We have collected thousands of pieces of evidence of malicious posts and comments from various online communities and social media platforms through fan reports and our own monitoring. Based on this, we submitted criminal complaints to the investigative authorities, and the identities of many defendants have been confirmed, with investigations ongoing.

The agency detailed its continuous monitoring of major domestic and international platforms such as TheQoo, Instiz, X (formerly Twitter), DC Inside, Nate Pann, MLB Park, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Ilbe Storage, Bobaedream, FMKorea, Naver, and Daum. SM Entertainment noted that significant progress has been made in deepfake-related cases since its last quarterly announcement, with "meaningful results" emerging.

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We are continuously monitoring major domestic and international platforms... Meaningful results are being achieved following our announcement last quarter regarding deepfake-related cases.

SM Entertainment is also pursuing legal action for other offenses, including the creation and distribution of malicious rumors, repetitive dissemination of false information, sexually harassing posts, defamatory remarks, and the production and distribution of mocking or distorted content. The company cited violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and the Basic Act on Telecommunications as grounds for these actions. The agency emphasized its cooperation with platforms and authorities to identify anonymous posters and vowed to proceed with strong legal action without any leniency or settlement.

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We will respond with a zero-tolerance policy to any leniency or settlement, and we will continue to take strong legal action.