Actor Jeong Yun-min hurriedly posted an explanation after controversy arose when she uploaded an AI photo of Hollywood top star Brad Pitt.
Earlier, on the 9th she posted on her personal social media, "Running into Big Brother Bbang in the alleyways of Bukchon, wow~~~amazing!!!! #BradPitt #JeongYun-min #BukchonAlleyways" along with a photo.
The released photo showed top star Brad Pitt appearing in Korea's Bukchon village. Brad Pitt smiled brightly at the camera in a close pose with Jeong Yun-min, and the photo spread quickly, prompting an explosion of curiosity with people asking, "Did Brad Pitt really come to Korea?"
In the past, Brad Pitt visited Korea several times to promote films he starred in, and before visits he shared his Korea schedule in advance with Korean reporters and fans, so private, unannounced visits like this were rare. That added to the confusion when the two were shown together in Bukchon.
As it turned out, the image was a fake photo generated by AI. However, Jeong Yun-min did not leave any special comment and posted it as if Brad Pitt had actually come to Korea and visited Bukchon. Acquaintances commented, "Wow amazing oppa what is this? It's not AI, right?" and "I thought it was AI," but she did not reply. However, if you look closely at the lower right of the photo she uploaded, there is a mark indicating it was generated by Gemini. But to the general public, the technology is so convincing that it is hard to tell.
Afterward, media outlets suspected the Brad Pitt Bukchon photo was AI and reported that "it could constitute a violation of portrait rights and the spread of false information."
According to legal sources, even if an image is generated by AI, if it is at a level where a celebrity or a specific person can be identified, there may be a risk of infringing portrait rights or publicity rights. If it can be mistaken for a real photo or is used commercially without the person's consent, it can lead to legal disputes. Currently in Korea, under the AI Basic Act enforced in 2026, the obligation to disclose generative AI outputs has been strengthened, and content such as deepfakes that could be confused with reality must be labeled as AI-generated. If someone posts an AI image without disclosing it and causes social confusion, platform sanctions or legal liability may arise.
Two days later on the 11th, Jeong Yun-min belatedly explained, "Many people asked me if he came to Korea after seeing the Bukchon photo, so I'm posting this clarification. To state the conclusion first, it is an image generated by AI."
She added, "I was also scared that you can make a real person and background this realistically, so I lightly shared it with the intention of raising awareness, but it unintentionally received a lot of attention," and posted, "It's amazing that the technology has advanced enough for even articles to appear. Let's be extra careful not to be fooled by fake photos! (If Big Brother Bbang really comes next time, we'll meet then...) #AIfear #artificialintelligencephoto #factcheck #reallyscaryworld #digitalawareness"
Jeong Yun-min explained as if she had uploaded the Brad Pitt photo from the start to warn about the fear of AI and digital awareness, but some criticized her attitude, saying, "Didn't she post it to get attention and then quickly explain when talk of portrait rights came up?"
[Photo] Jeong Yun-min SNS
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