In recent K-pop fan interactions, an unsettling event occurred when a K-pop idol was allegedly shown a deepfake video of herself dancing during a live fan event. Hwang Yeji, a member of the popular K-pop girl group ITZY, was exposed to the video during a “fan call event,” in which fans get to interact with their favourite celebrities over video call.
A video posted on March 10 on Chinese social media platform, Weibo, shows a screen recording of Hwang during a fan call. She is shown a deepfake video of a woman resembling her, performing a dance. Hwang looked both fascinated and bewildered, even imitating the dance moves from the video.
The woman presenting the deepfake video, presumably a fan of Hwang, took over once the video ended after 15 seconds. “This video is made of your AI … yeah, it’s you,” the woman informed Hwang. Hwang light-heartedly responded in Korean, saying “It’s so funny… it’s me! It’s very fun.”
Fan call events are scheduled video interactions between fans and their beloved celebrities, usually coinciding with the release of a new album by the K-pop group. Securing an opportunity to participate in a fan call is tough; fans typically have to locate a lucky fan call ticket hidden inside physical K-pop CDs akin to winning a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Determined fans may spend thousands of dollars purchasing CDs in bulk to increase their odds of winning a ticket. However, fan calls have become an avenue for awkward experiences since fans sometimes make uncomfortable requests or pose awkward questions to the idols.
This recent incident involving a deepfake video sparked significant criticism with many calling it “creepy”. The incident has also triggered calls for a ban on fan call events. Some fans expressed concerns about the potential misuse of AI deepfakes for unsavoury purposes.
Sarah Keith, a senior lecturer in Media and Music at Sydney’s Macquarie University who specializes in Korean popular culture, addressed the situation. She stated that while deepfake AI apps are widely available and often promoted as entertainment, the nature of this video crossed a line. “While the video is fairly innocent, Yeji’s image was still being used without her consent,” she stressed. Keith added that fans are protective of their favourite artists and are wary of exploitation. Consequently, they found this act using Yeji’s image highly disrespectful.
