K-pop agencies Cube Entertainment, YG come out against deepfake pornography

Agencies of girl groups (G)I-DLE and Blackpink jumped on board the nationwide battle to eradicate deepfake pornography using K-pop idols' faces.

Girl group (G)I-DLE [CUBE ENTERTAINMENT]

Agencies of girl groups (G)I-DLE and Blackpink jumped on board the nationwide battle to eradicate deepfake pornography using K-pop idols' faces.

Cube Entertainment, home to girl group (G)I-DLE, and Blackpink's management company YG Entertainment both announced that they are planning on taking legal action against illegal sexual content created through the use of deepfake technology.

"The malicious deepfake videos are spreading online, severely damaging our artists' reputation and causing grave mental pain," Cube Entertainment said Tuesday, calling the videos "clearly criminal."

"We are collecting all related data and will take strong legal measures without leniency," the agency said.

Girl group Blackpink on Aug. 10 in western Seoul [NEWS1]

YG Entertainment, home to girl groups Blackpink, BabyMonster and more, also announced Monday that it is taking legal measures against illegal deepfake videos using its artists.

"We will take continuous, firm and strict measures against all illegalities taking place against the human rights of our artists," said YG Entertainment.

The news comes just days after K-pop agencies JYP Entertainment, ADOR and Woollim Entertainment said that they are taking legal measures against deepfake pornography.

The online crime of creating or distributing sex videos using K-pop artists' faces in pornographic content has surfaced with the discovery last month of a nationwide deepfake epidemic, particularly prevalent among teenagers and students.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]