Le Monde: "Korea Has Now Become a Deepfake Republic"
"K-pop Idols Targeted...Sexism and Misogyny Also Causes"
A leading French media outlet reported that “South Korea is now a ‘deepfake republic’,” referring to deepfake as AI-generated manipulated videos or images. It pointed out that the global success of K-pop, along with issues of gender discrimination and misogyny, are the underlying factors.
The French daily newspaper Le Monde, on the 7th (local time), mentioned the controversy in January when an obscene image was created by synthesizing the face photo of the world-famous American pop star Taylor Swift, stating that “South Korea is a country where such incidents are not surprising.”
It added, “Online synthetic pornography has been a problem in South Korea for years and has already become a routine matter,” and criticized, “South Korea, long called the ‘molka republic’ (hidden camera republic), is now the ‘deepfake republic.’”
Le Monde analyzed that the first victims of deepfakes in South Korea are female celebrities, and the international success of K-pop has greatly influenced these side effects. As K-pop is exported worldwide, its fan base is growing, and these fans naturally become the subjects of fantasies around the globe.
In fact, Henry Aider of Deeptrace, a Dutch deepfake detection company, said, “As early as 2019, 25% of the global celebrities affected by related damage were K-pop stars.”
Le Monde reported, “After five years, this trend is now confirmed.” According to their investigation of the five most popular video platforms in the field of pornographic deepfakes, more than half (56%) of the top 50 most targeted celebrities worldwide were confirmed to be Korean stars.
A person identified as A, who creates and sells such content through platforms like Telegram, told Le Monde, “I have no special fantasy about K-pop idols,” adding, “I am simply responding to the strong global demand for their deepfake pornography.”
Illegal synthetic images created using recent deepfake technology have spread, causing harm to pop star Taylor Swift. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Le Monde quoted Aider saying, “According to our observations, most of this content is produced and consumed in South Korea, and the problem is not limited to K-pop stars,” reporting that gender discrimination and misogyny in Korean society influence the spread of such pornography.
Choi Mira, who studied related issues at Yale University in the United States, told Le Monde, “This reflects the paradox of misogyny.” Men dislike women who try to liberate themselves, yet at the same time, they are enthusiastic about women who match their imagined sexual objects.
Le Monde analyzed, “In the past, gender discrimination mainly involved physical and verbal attacks, but as it has transitioned into digital forms, a representative example is the ‘molka’ (hidden camera).” It added, “With the addition of deepfake technology, women are becoming victims of pornography without even realizing it.”
Furthermore, it pointed out, “Korean women have taken to protests demanding strong punishment for pornography under the slogan ‘My life is not your porn,’” emphasizing that “this slogan remains valid today.”
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