[Anchor]
We previously reported that a mid-level official at a district office in Seoul was put on trial for using artificial intelligence to create composite images depicting himself and a female colleague as romantic partners. Six months after our initial report, the court has ruled it a sex crime.
Reporter An Huijae has the details.
[Reporter]
A woman wearing a tight sleeveless top and jeans hugs a middle-aged man, looking up at him with her hand on his shoulder.
Last November, official A at the Guro District Office in Seoul downloaded a photo of female colleague B from the internal network and fed it into a generative AI tool along with his own photo to create multiple composite images.
He uploaded the images to his KakaoTalk profile. Upon seeing them, victim B filed a complaint, stating she felt intense humiliation over the depictions of them as a romantic couple. Following our first report, official A was sent to trial in April on charges including the violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
While police initially concluded that defamation was established but not a sex crime, the prosecution indicted him, stating that everyone has the freedom not to be objectified against their will. The 1st instance court ruled him guilty on all counts today.
Official A argued that he merely had a crush on victim B and that the acts had no relation to sexual desire. However, the court rejected the argument, stating that whether something induces sexual shame is not determined by the level of exposure, such as nudity or underwear.
The court also noted that the nature of the crime is grave and it is questionable whether he is genuinely reflecting on his actions. However, considering factors such as his being a first-time offender, it sentenced him to a fine of 6 million won.
[Victim B / AI Composite Victim : I am relieved that the court listened to the victim's voice. However, I do feel some disappointment regarding the sentence, and whether it will play a sufficient role in preventing similar crimes....]
(Video Editing: Park Choon-bae, Design: Jang Seong-beom)
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