Starship Entertainment apologizes for sharing deepfake content of IVE's An Yujin
Starship Entertainment reposted AI-generated deepfake images and offensive content about K-pop artist An Yujin on its official Weibo account on January 9, 2025. The agency apologized after backlash, disciplined the staff member involved, and committed to strengthening internal content moderation protocols.
What happened
On January 9, 2025, Starship Entertainment reposted content on its official Weibo account that included AI-generated photos of IVE member An Yujin with the caption, '#JangWonYoung good baby. #AnYujin sl*t that loves kissing old men.'
The agency stated the incident occurred when staff were reporting malicious posts and the post was deleted shortly after being called out by fans.
Reported impact
Fans expressed shock and backlash at seeing the agency share harmful content about one of its artists, with widespread negative reaction from the public.
Index analysis
The deepfake image and disparaging caption constituted synthetic media combined with abusive content targeting the artist.
Governance controls
Starship Entertainment issued initial apologies on January 9 and a more detailed statement on January 15 in Korean, Chinese, and English. The agency reassigned the staff member responsible and stated that 'the most stringent disciplinary actions have been taken.'
The agency committed to enhancing internal processes and protocols to prevent similar incidents, and stated it was taking legal action against individuals spreading false information or engaging in defamatory behavior.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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