JYP Entertainment, the behemoth behind K-pop acts like TWICE and Stray Kids, has vowed to take the “strongest legal action” against deepfake videos involving its artists.
Strongest legal action’
“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,” the agency said in a statement.
“We want to make it clear that we will not stand by while our artists’ rights are violated and will take decisive action to address this matter to the fullest extent possible.”
Rising industry concerns
JYP Entertainment’s stance comes on the back of South Korean media reports exposing Telegram chat rooms for sharing sexually exploitative AI-generated videos involving both victims and perpetrators who are underage.
Last month, Woollim Entertainment filed a police complaint regarding the spread of false accusations, defamation, and privacy breaches of its artist Kwon Eun-bi. In June, ADOR also warned of legal actions against obscene deepfake content of its girl group NewJeans.
On August 28, South Korean officials announced it would increase criminal penalties for deepfake sex crimes shared on platforms like Telegram and other social media companies, as the country faces a nationwide epidemic of digital sex crimes.
Did you know?
South Korean singers and actresses are the most commonly targeted group, making up 53% of the individuals featured in deepfake pornography, according to a 2023 report by US cybersecurity agency Security Hero. It further revealed that South Korea is the country most susceptible to deepfake porn.