Anchor: Illegal advertisements using artificial intelligence(AI) to create entirely fake news reports and endorsements by celebrities such as football star Son Heung-min are rampant, especially on social media. Authorities are now strongly warning consumers to be on alert.
Rosyn Park has this report.

Report:

[Sound bite: Online deepfake illegal advertisement]

An ad making the rounds online appears to show the famous footballer Son Heung-min speaking as a PR ambassador for Kangwon Land, a resort and casino in South Korea.

The video is promoting an illegal gambling site, using AI-manipulated images and audio to replicate Son.

The Korea Consumer Agency(KCA) said it monitored online gambling ads posted on Facebook for two months, starting in August, and identified 38 cases of false advertising, including some that used deepfakes.

[Sound bite: Online deepfake illegal advertisement]

Among them, 14 used celebrities' likenesses or mimicked news broadcasts.

Eight deepfakes used news anchors from domestic broadcasters such as KBS and MBC, and six videos illegally used the likenesses of well-known figures, including Son Heung-min and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In addition, 24 ads were caught illegally using the names and logos of government and public institutions, such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Kangwon Land, to promote illegal gambling apps.

The consumer protection agency emphasized that both deepfake ads and online gambling are illegal in South Korea.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Wednesday also warned against the rapid spread of false and exaggerated AI-related advertising, saying the government intends to prevent and block it by creating a mandatory AI product-labeling system and enforcing harsher penalties against scammers.
Rosyn Park, KBS World Radio News.