A person identified as A, who created and distributed deepfake content targeting Aespa, has been sentenced to prison.
According to SM Entertainment via Newsis on the 18th, the 1st Criminal Devision of the Daegu High Court sentenced A to 2 years and 6 months in prison for producing deepfake videos featuring Aespa members Karina and Winter and selling them for profit.
Along with the prison term, the court also ordered A to complete 80 hours of sexual violence treatment education and imposed a 7-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and adolescents.
Regarding the ruling, SM Entertainment stated, "We are closely monitoring major domestic and international platforms alongside reports submitted by fans. As we mentioned in our previous notice, meaningful results continue to be achieved in deepfake-related cases, including this one."
They explained, "We are also continuously filing criminal complaints with investigative authorities against individuals who post malicious content and comments about our artists, on charges including violations of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, the Information and Communications Network Act, and the Basic Telecommunications Act." They also emphasized:
"We will respond firmly without any leniency or settlements."
Meanwhile, Aespa released their second full-length album, 'LEMONADE,' last month.
