A man was fined for creating and distributing obscene images of NewJeans members. ADOR emphasizes legal action to protect artists' rights.
November/21/2025 13:31
A man in his 20s who synthesized the faces of NewJeans members to produce and distribute obscene photos and videos was sentenced to a fine. The Pohang branch of the Daegu District Court, presided over by Judge Park Kwang-seon, sentenced Mr. A to a fine of 15 million won (about 1,604,210 yen) and ordered him to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program for violating laws related to the protection of children and adolescents. Mr. A is suspected of producing obscene photos and videos that edited the faces of Hae-rin, Ha-ni, and Min-ji to look realistic at his home in Pohang in January this year, and then spreading them online via Telegram and social media. The court stated that the reason for the sentence was that 'the defendant distributed false images on a highly contagious Telegram channel with over 200 connections' and 'considered that the victims did not allow this.' The agency ADOR emphasized legal responses to protect the rights of artists regarding this incident. ADOR stated, 'We are taking strict legal measures along with rapid deletion requests for posts that infringe on artists' rights,' and 'we are advancing strong responses without exception to overseas-based sites.' They explained that they have determined that the seriousness of rights infringement, such as the spread of malicious fake news, privacy violations, and the use of slanderous terms, has increased, and they have deployed additional personnel for concentrated evidence collection. Particularly regarding deepfake crimes, they mentioned, 'Recently, there was a request for reconciliation from a perpetrator who created deepfake photos, but we refused this and conveyed our intention for severe punishment to the investigative agency.' Recently, NewJeans has faced changes in their legal dispute regarding their exclusive contract with ADOR. After all members lost the first trial in the lawsuit to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract, they decided not to appeal, thus confirming the first trial's ruling that the exclusive contract between NewJeans and ADOR is valid. Hae-rin and Hae-in officially announced their return through ADOR, and Min-ji, Daniel, and Ha-ni also expressed their intention to return. It has been reported that ADOR is conducting individual interviews with the members.
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