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IVE and LE SSERAFIM's fansites blacklisted for deepfake cyberbullying against Jang Wonyoung? Here's what we know
A viral post accuses IVE Leeseo’s and LE SSERAFIM Eunchae’s fansites of involvement in a deepfake crime against Wonyoung, sparking outrage. Get all the details here.
Recently, a viral post on X sparked shock and outrage among K-pop fans after it accused two prominent fansites: Eudemonic (dedicated to IVE’s Leeseo) and Sodapop (dedicated to LE SSERAFIM’s Eunchae), of being linked to deepfake crimes against IVE’s Wonyoung. The post, shared on February 12, 2025, alleged that both fansites were operated by the same individual, who had previously been blacklisted by Starship Entertainment.
According to the viral post, the fansite master behind Eudemonic and Sodapop was among those named on this blacklist. While the official list provided by Starship Entertainment only included real names and birthdates without detailed explanations, the post claimed that the timing strongly suggested a connection to the deepfake scandal that had emerged earlier.
Many fans were deeply disturbed by the possibility that a well-known fansite master, someone who had seemingly supported idols through photography and fan events, might have played a role in violating an artist’s privacy in such a serious manner.
The deepfake controversy involving Wonyoung was part of a much larger and deeply troubling issue that had been unfolding in South Korea last year in September, known as the New Nth Room case. This case brought international attention to a series of Telegram-based chatrooms where explicit deepfake content of women, including minors and celebrities, was being circulated for the purpose of humiliation and exploitation.
The New Nth Room case first gained traction when reports surfaced about massive chatrooms being used to spread non-consensual deepfake pornography, with some rooms even targeting high school students by digitally manipulating their images. The scandal exposed how widespread the issue had become, as hundreds of women, many of whom were completely unaware that their likenesses had been used, were being victimized through AI-generated content.
As awareness of these crimes spread, netizens uncovered that a major number of female K-pop idols had become targets of deepfake pornography, sparking outrage across the industry. On September 2, 2024, Starship Entertainment issued a statement confirming that Wonyoung had been one of the idols affected by deepfake crimes.
The company vowed to take strong legal action against those responsible and urged authorities to impose stricter regulations against digital crimes of this nature. The statement, however, did not publicly disclose specific details about those blacklisted, such as their online aliases or their exact offenses.
The resurfacing of these accusations in 2025 has reignited outrage among fans, with many demanding further clarification from Starship Entertainment regarding the specific individuals involved. While some fans were relieved to see the company had already blacklisted those implicated, others expressed frustration that the names and details of offenders had not been publicly revealed.
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