Starship Entertainment has issued an apology to IVE member Yujin and pledges action to protect its artists in the future
The agency Starship Entertainment, responsible for IVE, issued a formal apology this Monday, 15th, following a controversy involving the republication of deepfake content on its official Chinese social media account, Weibo. The controversy sparked a strong backlash from fans, especially regarding the treatment of the members. Jang Won Young and An Yu Jin.
The incident occurred when Starship’s official Weibo account reposted deepfake content, which used technology to alter images and videos of the girl group members, particularly focusing on An Yu Jin. The material was widely criticized by fans due to the malicious intent behind the manipulation, which negatively affected the singer’s image.
In its official statement, the company apologized to both the artist and fans for the inappropriate publication, expressing regret for the situation and highlighting that the intention was never to harm the group’s members.
In response to the incident, Starship Entertainment announced immediate corrective actions, including the removal of the publishing employee from all duties related to social media management, as well as the imposition of severe disciplinary measures. The episode generated outrage on social media, with fans demanding greater respect for the artists’ privacy and image. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to the well-being of its members and guaranteed that it will take measures to prevent similar situations from recurring in the future.
Check out the full statement!
“We at Starship Entertainment would like to offer our sincerest apologies to our artist, AN YUJIN, and her fans for the unfortunate incident that occurred on January 9th.
We deeply regret the discomfort caused by the mismanagement of a China-based social media account by a member of our team.
After a detailed analysis of the situation, we determined that the incident was the result of failures in our internal protocols.
As a corrective measure, the involved team member was reassigned from all related responsibilities, and the strictest disciplinary action was taken. Additionally, we are actively improving and refining our internal processes to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again.
We deeply regret the damage caused to AN YUJIN and are committed to repairing the losses resulting from this incident. To protect all parties involved, we are also taking legal action against individuals who spread false information or engage in defamatory behavior.
Once again, we sincerely apologize to all fans for the disappointment and concerns caused by this incident. We will remain committed to learning from this experience and growing as a more responsible and mature company. We will continue to work diligently to restore your trust and ensure that such an incident does not happen again.
Thanks.
Starship Entertainment”
The situation also brought to light discussions about the use of digital manipulation technologies, such as deepfake, and their negative impacts, especially in the context of celebrities and public figures. Starship has faced pressure to ensure its official channels maintain the respect and integrity of its artists’ image.
Read also: IVE carries out pre-launch with the track ‘REBEL HEART’; watch the clip!
Source: Recreio
