Seoul: A major K-pop agency has vowed to take the "strongest legal action" against deepfake videos depicting its artists, after local media reports exposing Telegram chat rooms for sharing AI-generated pornography sparked public outrage.
South Korea is the country most susceptible to deepfake porn, according to a 2023 report by cybersecurity startup Security Hero, with singers and actresses from the rising cultural powerhouse accounting for 53 per cent of the individuals featured in the content it reviewed.
"We are gravely concerned about the recent spread of deepfake videos involving our artists," said a statement issued late Friday by K-pop agency JYP Entertainment, whose artists include the popular girl group TWICE.
"We are in the process of collecting all relevant evidence to pursue the strongest legal action with a leading law firm, without leniency."
Earlier this week, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for an investigation into deepfake porn, with relevant agencies and police saying around 60 per cent of victims were minors.
According to media reports, victims have included soldiers, teachers and students.
JYP's announcement comes about two months after fellow K-pop label ADOR said police were investigating the creators and distributors profiting from obscene deepfake content depicting the firm's hugely popular girl group NewJeans.
Some of the offenders had already been convicted and sentenced, ADOR said at the time.
