"Ko Hyun-jung Dead?" Outrage Over Fake News Video

[Financial News] Ko Hyun-jung expressed discomfort over a YouTube video covering her death news.

According to an online community on the 26th, in the 'Ko Hyun-jung Vlog 9' video uploaded on Ko Hyun-jung's YouTube channel on the 21st, he returned to his channel for the first time in 6 months after attending New York Fashion Week and was surprised to hear from the production team that "a rumor of Ko Hyun-jung's death was circulating on YouTube." He confessed, "Oh, was there really such a thing (fake news)? It's shocking."

The video featured a provocative thumbnail titled 'Ko Hyun-jung Dead at 54' and a caption on the screen read: "Ko Hyun-jung Dispels Death Rumor - To Be Continued in the Next Episode." What he encountered upon returning to share his updates was 'death news' that even he was unaware of.

Recently on YouTube, not only Ko Hyun-jung but also famous celebrities like Park Mi-sun, Park Jun-hyung, Kang Ho-dong, and Shin Ae-ra have been featured in videos containing rumors of death and divorce.

Most of these contents are fake videos created by AI or edited from existing news and social network service (SNS) information. Thumbnails often feature the profile pictures of celebrities edited into funeral portraits or cut and pasted from other celebrities' funeral photos.

When watching the videos, the content is nonsensical or lacks context, and features awkward AI-synthesized voices. These fake news videos sometimes record tens of thousands to nearly a million views. If these contents defame others by spreading false information and incite social fear, they may be subject to punishment under the current Information and Communications Network Act and the Criminal Act.

Meanwhile, Ko Hyun-jung surprised fans last December with news of her health deterioration.

She was scheduled to attend the production presentation of the Genie TV original drama 'Namib' but was absent due to a sudden health deterioration. Ko Hyun-jung later shared her recovery status, saying, "I'm sorry for causing concern," and "I was surprisingly ill, but after successfully completing major surgery, I came to my senses. I will be careful and take good care of myself."



hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter