Daegu, Korea Selatan, en.SERU.co.id — On Thursday (18/6/2026), SM Entertainment announced that the Daegu High Court’s Criminal Division 1 sentenced the perpetrator, a man identified only as Mr. A, to two years and six months behind bars. He was found guilty of making and selling deepfake porn videos featuring aespa members Karina and Winter.
The court also ordered him to complete 80 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and banned him from working at any child or youth-related facilities for seven years.
According to SM, A created explicit deepfake videos by swapping the faces of Karina and Winter onto other bodies and sold them for profit. The ruling came at the appeals level, marking another step in the agency’s ongoing crackdown on AI-generated abuse targeting its artists.
In their official statement, SM Entertainment said:
“We would like to inform you that the defendant in the case involving the creation and sale of deepfake videos of our artists Karina and Winter has been found guilty and sentenced to two years and six months in prison, ordered to complete 80 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, and imposed a seven-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and adolescents.”
The company added that it will keep monitoring platforms closely and take strong legal action against similar cases.
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This verdict has drawn attention as South Korean courts appear to be getting tougher on deepfake crimes, especially those hitting high-profile idols. Many fans welcomed the decision as a meaningful win for artist protection, though some online comments wished for even stricter penalties given the emotional toll on the members.
SM has been vocal about its zero-tolerance policy, encouraging fans to report suspicious content so they can pursue cases more effectively.
*(Sources: Soompi, MK, Chosun, Khan, Allkpop dan BeritaSatu)
