"Did She Really Get Married?"... Fans' Hearts Sank After Yoona's Surprise Photo

[Financial News] An AI-generated image that illegally composites the face of Girls' Generation (SNSD) member and actress Lim Yoona onto a heavily pregnant body has spread indiscriminately online, fueling public outrage over violations of portrait rights and the criminal misuse of deepfake technology.
According to the IT and entertainment industries on the 28th, a fake pregnancy photo created by compositing Lim Yoona's face has recently been rapidly recirculated across social media and online communities.
The image shows Lim Yoona's face precisely composited onto the body of a woman in the final stages of pregnancy, with a man gently placing his hand on her protruding belly. The poster added phrases such as "LOVE U" and "Baby," along with hashtags, and even tagged Lim Yoona's actual personal social media account.
The composite image was first created and posted by an overseas internet user last June, but was deleted after sparking controversy. However, as deepfakes and generative AI-based fake news have emerged as major social issues, the image has been indiscriminately recirculated through major social media platforms such as Threads and Instagram Stories.
Legal experts and specialists broadly agree that the incident goes beyond a simple act of fandom misconduct, constituting a clear infringement of personal rights and potentially violating current law. Using AI without the subject's consent to spread false information or create and post images that could cause sexual humiliation may constitute defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act and an infringement of portrait rights. Depending on the circumstances, it may also lead to charges under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, including the editing and distribution of fabricated videos. The risk of secondary harm is particularly serious because members of the public may mistake the image for a real situation.
SM Entertainment, Lim Yoona's agency, has adopted a zero-tolerance policy and plans to take strong action against deepfakes and illegally distorted content targeting its artists.
SM said, "Producing, distributing, or possessing illegally composited materials constitutes serious defamation and a crime," warning, "We will work closely with investigative authorities in South Korea and abroad, as well as law firms in the United States, to track down the perpetrators—including those using anonymous platforms—to the very end and ensure that they face legal punishment."
In fact, 12 suspects in deepfake-related criminal complaints filed by SM have been sentenced to actual prison terms, including four years, for violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and other offenses, and are currently serving their sentences.
Experts say it is urgent to introduce technology to verify the authenticity of content in line with the rapid development of generative AI, strengthen platform operators' obligations to prevent the distribution of fabricated materials, and impose severe punishment on those who create and distribute them.
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter