Civil servant used AI to create 'couple photo' with female colleague for KakaoTalk profile... Police say "not a sex crime," sparking outrage

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[Financial News] A senior official at the Guro District Office, Seoul used AI to create fake couple photos of himself and a female employee from his department, then posted them as his KakaoTalk profile pictures. The employee felt deep sexual humiliation and indignity, but the police concluded it was not a sex crime, triggering public controversy.
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According to a report by SBS on the 20th, civil servant A at the Guro District Office, Seoul could not believe her eyes when she saw the KakaoTalk profile photos of her supervisor, senior official B, in November last year. In one image, a woman who looked exactly like her, wearing a sleeveless top, was hugging B. In another, the same woman had her hand on B’s shoulder and was gazing at him. An English phrase that appeared to be derived from A’s name was also added, making them look like a happy couple.
The images turned out to be AI-generated composites that B had created after downloading A’s photo from the district office’s internal organizational chart.
A filed a criminal complaint against B, accusing him of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes and of defamation, for creating humiliating fake images without her consent and posting them on a publicly visible KakaoTalk profile.
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However, within three weeks the police concluded there was "no suspicion of a crime." They reasoned that the level of exposure was not excessive and that the images did not depict any act that could be interpreted as sexual.
The police did acknowledge possible defamation, but the prosecution service sent the case back, saying supplementary investigation was needed even on that charge.
Cleared of sex crime allegations, B was reinstated just a month after being suspended from his post and was reassigned to a Community Service Center. There was no internal audit or disciplinary action by the district office.
Reacting to the outcome, A said, "I feel like I’ve been branded as a victim of deepfake sex crimes, so I’m constantly on edge. I’m always anxious, afraid I might run into him again. I just want things to go back to how they were before."
Regarding the incident, B explained, "I’ve long had a hobby of making composites using celebrity photos and the like," and claimed, "There was no sexual intent."
Online commenters reacted by saying, "The reality where the victim has to live in hiding... it makes me sick," "He made deepfake photos without the victim’s consent, and that’s not a crime?" and "Deepfakes are clearly a crime. You incompetent police."
gaa1003@fnnews.com Reporter An Gaeul Reporter