Fake AI-generated images of Girls’ Generation member and actress YoonA have sparked outrage online.
The controversy re-emerged after a fake image depicting YoonA—appearing pregnant alongside an unidentified man—began circulating on social media. Originally posted in June, international media outlets quickly identified the photo as an AI-generated deepfake. The man’s face in the image was partially covered, and the post was taken down shortly after backlash ensued.
Despite YoonA not being pregnant or photographed with a partner, some users who were unfamiliar with AI technology mistook the image for reality. This triggered significant concern and anger among fans, who worried that third parties might misinterpret the picture and spread further false rumors.
The incident highlights a growing concern over AI content that uses celebrities’ likenesses to fabricate non-existent private lives, directly violating their portrait rights and damaging their reputations. Experts warn that superimposing romantic or domestic scenarios onto real people makes it easy for false narratives to take root as fact.
In response, YoonA ’s agency, SM Entertainment, issued a firm statement warning of aggressive legal action. The company announced plans to press criminal charges against those responsible for creating and spreading defamation, sexual harassment, personal attacks, and deepfakes targeting their artists.
Addressing users who deleted or set their accounts to private to avoid consequences, SM Entertainment emphasized that responsibility remains. Through screenshots, digital archiving, and platform data recovery, digital footprints can still be traced, making it impossible to escape liability simply by removing a post.
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