A man who created and shared illegal deepfake sexual content involving aespa, LE SSERAFIM, and other KPop idols has received a suspended prison sentence in South Korea. Deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to manipulate images or videos by placing a person’s face onto another body. In this case, the content created was pornographic and sexually explicit, made without consent.
On January 25, 2026, the Uijeongbu District Court sentenced the man, identified as A, to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years. This means he will not serve time unless he violates probation conditions. Prosecutors revealed that A operated a Telegram chat room for about four months starting in December 2024, where he shared AI images and manipulated videos, which he created using editing software.
Investigators confirmed that the man created approximately 330 pieces of deepfake pornographic content. Victims included members of KPop girl groups aespa, LE SSERAFIM, and NewJeans, along with people he knew personally. The ruling against A now reflects a bigger concern over digital sex crimes and misuse of artificial intelligence.
Entertainment agencies have recently increased legal pressure in response to these cases. Source Music (LE SSERAFIM’s agency) has publicly announced a zero-tolerance policy. The company stated it would pursue strong legal action without settlements to protect artists from harassment and exploitation. In the same line, SM Entertainment (aespa’s agency) confirmed that they would start legal action against deepfake content in February 2025.