Le Sserafim's agency vows 'no leniency' over deepfake sex crimes, malicious online content

Le Sserafim's agency has warned it will pursue legal action without leniency against those committing deepfake sex crimes targeting the group's members and spreading false information through so-called "cyber wrecker" accounts.

Source Music said Monday on the fan platform Weverse that it would "respond resolutely and without leniency, mobilizing all available civil and criminal legal means" against acts that infringe on the artists' rights.

The agency said it is "taking strict action against deepfake sex crimes targeting the artists," adding that it had recently submitted a statement to authorities expressing complete opposition to any settlement and its desire for the harshest punishment permitted by law, in order to help the artists recover and eradicate such crimes.

Regarding malicious online content including that produced by cyber wreckers, Source Music warned it would "respond strictly," saying content churned out by malicious creators spreads rapidly through online communities and social media, "causing irreversible mental and physical harm to the artists."

The agency went on to say it would "hold those responsible for malicious posts targeting the artists fully accountable to the end."

It added that through its own monitoring system, it is "continuously pursuing legal proceedings against those who post content found to infringe on the artists' rights," noting that many such cases are currently under investigation. "We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy," it said.

Meanwhile, police announced June 16 that a six-month intensive crackdown on cyber sexual violence, which began in November last year, had resulted in the arrest of more than 1,500 people, including distributors of sexual exploitation material.

Of those arrested, 87 were taken into detention.

Teenagers accounted for 723 of the suspects, making up nearly half the total. Including those in their 20s — 481 people — the figure rises to about 80 percent.

Authorities removed or blocked 37,687 pieces of harmful video content in cooperation with the Korea Communications Standards Commission and the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center.

South Korean police also plan to use a US law — the Take It Down Act — which requires platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours.

The intensive crackdown is set to continue through Oct. 31.