A fake AI-generated image can take only seconds to create, but its impact can spread far beyond the original post.
SM Entertainment has confirmed that it has already filed criminal complaints over manipulated images using Girls’ Generation member and actress YoonA’s likeness without her consent, as false information linked to the images continues to circulate across social media and online communities.
The agency also issued a separate legal warning over malicious content targeting aespa member Winter, widening its response to online posts that it says include false information, defamation, insults, personal attacks and sexual harassment.
SM Entertainment said on 28 September that it had identified additional cases involving illegal AI-generated images that manipulate YoonA’s likeness.
The agency said the images had been used as the basis for false information that was being “recklessly produced and distributed” through social media and online communities.
SM said,
“Through reports submitted by fans to KWANGYA 119 and continuous monitoring, we are continuously collecting and preserving evidence related to the illegal posts, and based on this we have already filed criminal complaints and will respond firmly without leniency or settlement.”
KWANGYA 119 is SM Entertainment’s reporting channel through which fans can submit information about suspected violations involving the agency’s artists.
The agency said it is continuing to collect evidence relating to both the creation and distribution of the content.
The latest concerns follow the circulation of a fabricated image showing YoonA appearing pregnant while standing alongside an unidentified man.
The image, which was first posted in June, was later identified by international media as an AI-generated deepfake and was removed after attracting backlash.
AI-generated image circulated on social media, fuelling false rumours about YoonA.
YoonA was not pregnant and had not been photographed in the situation shown in the fabricated image.
The incident nevertheless raised concerns that people unfamiliar with AI-generated content could mistake the image for a genuine photograph and repeat the claims as fact.
SM warned that creating or posting AI-manipulated images without an artist’s consent, as well as sharing, reposting or distributing them, could lead to legal consequences depending on the circumstances.
The company cited potential issues including defamation, infringement of portrait rights and the editing or distribution of false videos under laws concerning sexual crimes.
SM Entertainment also urged users not to assume that they can avoid responsibility by simply sharing content created by someone else.
The agency specifically warned against reposting or circulating the images through social media, quote posts, online communities and news reports containing the manipulated material.
The company said,
“Please immediately stop generating or posting illegal composites or unverified false content directly, or sharing or rehosting them.”
It added that users should exercise “special caution to avoid becoming involved in unfortunate incidents due to such actions”.
The warning comes as fabricated images can quickly move between platforms, making it harder to distinguish the original creator from people who later redistribute the material.
SM also said deleting a post or making an account private does not necessarily remove the digital trail connected to the activity, with evidence potentially preserved through screenshots, digital archives and platform data.
SM Entertainment’s legal response also covers aespa member Winter, although her case involves a broader range of online content rather than the specific AI-image issue involving YoonA.
The agency said posts targeting Winter have included alleged false information, defamation, insults, malicious slander, personal attacks and sexual harassment.
The content has reportedly appeared across X, Instagram and YouTube, as well as several Korean online communities.
After consulting its legal counsel, SM said it plans to proceed with criminal complaints in stages while continuing to gather evidence through its own monitoring and reports submitted by fans through KWANGYA 119.
The agency said its response would also cover anonymous accounts and forums, adding that it would seek to identify those responsible and trace how the content was created and distributed.
SM said this could apply to individuals located both in South Korea and overseas, with relevant evidence to be submitted to investigative authorities where necessary.
SM Entertainment has previously taken legal action over deepfake material involving aespa members.
In June 2026, the agency announced that an individual who created and sold deepfake videos involving Karina and Winter had received a two-year-and-six-month prison sentence, along with additional measures ordered by the court.
The latest statements place YoonA’s case within the same wider legal battle over manipulated digital content involving celebrities, while Winter’s case focuses on a broader stream of alleged online abuse.
SM said it will continue monitoring the relevant platforms and pursuing formal legal action to protect the rights and reputations of its artists.
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