The Democratic Party of Korea has expelled a party member who created and distributed deepfake pornography targeting Rep. Lee Eon-ju. The party decided to file a criminal complaint against the member under the name of its Public Communication Committee.
"We recognized a situation in which the member posted a synthetic image containing defamatory language related to Rep. Lee, damaging her honor and dignity, and we decided on emergency disciplinary action against the person who produced and distributed it," Kang Jun-hyun, the party's chief spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly on Monday after a Supreme Council meeting. The person who posted the obscene material was confirmed to be a rank-and-file member of the Democratic Party.
The party's Public Communication Committee said in a media notice the same day that it "plans to proceed with a criminal complaint against the person who created and distributed the deepfake pornography of Rep. Lee." Rep. Lee's side had earlier stated it would "pursue a firm response, including all possible legal measures under civil and criminal law, against those who posted and distributed the deepfake pornography and all illegal acts involved." Rep. Lee is reportedly receiving hospital treatment due to severe psychological shock and stress.
