South Korean election body fines creators of AI-generated deepfake campaign song
A public official in South Korea created an AI-generated deepfake song praising Andong's mayor and played it at a public event in October 2024, then distributed it online without required AI disclosure labeling. Election authorities fined both the creator and distributor, marking the first enforcement of the country's 2023 deepfake regulations in electoral contexts.
What happened
A public corporation official (identified as 'A') created an AI-generated song titled 'μμ₯λκ°2' (Mayor Song 2) praising Andong Mayor Kwon Gi-chang and played it at a public facility management corporation workshop attended by approximately 50 public officials and the mayor on October 21, 2024.
The song, which contained lyrics such as 'Mayor Kwon Gi-chang, our light in the darkness' and 'brightening Andong's future,' was distributed online from October 2024 via social media and internet communities without required AI-generated content labeling.
Reported impact
An online labor union bulletin board and internet communities criticized the song for resembling 'cult-like praise' and comparisons to North Korean leader propaganda, raising concerns about inappropriate use of public resources for campaign purposes.
Index analysis
The Andong City Election Commission investigation found that the AI-generated song violated the 2023 Public Official Election Act deepfake regulations by creating content indistinguishable from genuine audio without proper disclosure. A second individual (identified as 'B') distributed the song in group chat without required AI labeling.
Governance controls
The Andong City Election Commission referred the song creator (A) to police on charges of conducting illegal pre-election campaigning and fined both the creator and distributor 5 million won each for failing to label AI-generated content. This marked the first fine imposed under the 2023 Public Official Election Act deepfake provisions.
The National Election Commission established a 'deepfake and false information response team' on December 5, 2024, to monitor social media, YouTube, and online communities for illegal deepfake content during the planned local elections.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.