[Unofficial translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

“Drama ‘deepfake controversy’ sparks concern… "risk of dangerously casual approach to deepfake technology”,”28 January 2025

The Hankyoreh newspaper, after reviewing 105 rulings from first and second trials related to violations of Article 14-2 of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of fake videos) between 25 June 2020 and June last year, found that 37 cases involving victims who were celebrities, such as idols, made up 35.2% of the total. Of the 111 identifiable celebrity victims (including duplicates of the same individual), 109 (98.2%) were women, and a significant number were minors.

…On 16 January, Munhwa Ilbo reported that the female lead actresses of Won-gyeong had not been properly briefed on the body exposure (…), and although their agencies requested the removal of the scenes, the production team refused. It was later revealed that the exposure scenes were created by digitally combining the faces of the lead actresses with the body of a body double wearing clothes…

Following the reports of the ‘forced exposure’ allegations, the production team issued a statement that day, claiming, “From the very beginning, the drama was planned (…) being rated 'adults only', and this was disclosed during casting.” They also stated, “At each stage of production, discussions were held with the agencies and the actors,” denying the allegations. The actors' agencies have remained tight-lipped on the matter…

…In a complaint shared by an online user, it was stated, “Scenes in which an actor’s body is digitally altered without consent not only violate the actor’s rights but could also contribute to the dangerous normalisation of deepfake technology, which has a high potential for misuse in serious crimes.” The complaint went on to say, “This act goes against efforts for crime prevention and awareness, and could be seen as a violation of broadcasting ethical standards.”