The presidential office and the People Power Party criticized the deepfake video that played the faces of President Yoon Suk-yeol and his spouse at the "presidential impeachment support rally" held in Gwangju the previous day on the 16th, calling it "an infringement of personal dignity." The People Power Party plans to file a complaint with the police against the video creator, projector, and anyone who assisted or distributed the video for violations of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act on the 17th.
The presidential office stated through a media announcement that "there is no way to suppress anger over the serious infringement of personal dignity and human rights that goes beyond mockery aimed at the current president and his spouse, as well as the criminal acts using deepfake technology." It added, "We express strong regret to all those who created, projected, or stood by the deepfake video at the rally."
It was also added that "we will make all necessary measures, including strong legal responses, against those involved in the production and distribution of the video."
The People Power Party also announced plans to take legal action against the video creators and presenters.
Kim Dae-sik, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, noted in a commentary that "before being the president and his spouse, they are citizens of South Korea. This goes beyond simple political criticism or satire, representing a serious infringement of personal dignity and a clear sexual violence crime," adding, "We cannot help but be horrified by the fact that such obscene material was displayed on a large screen in a public space where many citizens and children pass by, and we cannot let it go unpunished."
The party's media special committee also issued a statement that day, saying, "The video was played for about 10 minutes by a certain YouTuber who attended the rally through a video truck, and relevant live videos are still prominently left on his YouTube channel," adding, "The production of the deepfake video was not a mistake or chance but a pre-planned act, and the associates of the YouTuber appeared to have meticulously prepared to play the video." The committee stated, "The creator of the video is currently reported to reside in Norway," and remarked that "it seems they judged they could evade legal judgment by residing abroad, but we must take severe action even through international cooperation with Interpol."
It was announced that on the afternoon of the 17th, they will file a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against all those involved in the production, projection, assistance, or distribution of the video for violations of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act.