South Korean YouTube star and webtoon artist Lee Mal-nyeon, known to his followers as ChimChakMan, has announced his intention to take legal action against companies that use deepfake technology to feature him in advertisements for online gambling games.
Lee stated that these companies had “synthesized” videos using his image and works without his consent by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools. He also suspects that the entities behind the creation of these deepfake videos are based abroad.
### ChimChakMan To Sue Creators of Illegal Gambling Ad Deepfakes
According to the South Korean news outlet, Herald Kyungjae, Lee’s representatives reported: “Recently, some companies have begun indiscriminately distributing ads for illegal gambling sites by manipulating ChimChakMan’s images and voice using AI.” They further emphasized that all such advertisements are unauthorized and falsely depict ChimChakMan promoting illegal gambling activities, which he has never done.
Lee’s team is preparing to take immediate action and plans to report all the misleading advertisements. They are determined to pursue stringent legal actions against the creators of these videos for copyright infringement and are considering charges under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
The ChimChakMan team has cautioned his followers to be vigilant and avoid engaging with any links related to these deceptive deepfake videos. They also advised that any new occurrences of such deepfake content on social media should be promptly reported to the platform administrators.
Lee’s representatives noted the challenge in resolving these issues promptly since the offending companies are located overseas but assured that they are working proactively to protect fans and the public from potential harm.
Lee reiterated his stance of never having endorsed illegal gambling.
### Asian Celebrities Facing AI-Generated Fake Gambling Ads
ChimChakMan boasts a significant online presence with almost 2.9 million YouTube subscribers and over 779,000 followers on Twitch. Apart from his digital career, Lee has ventured into television, appearing in popular South Korean variety shows such as “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” “Omniscient Interfering View,” and “Salon Drip.” He also made a cameo in the 2020 drama series “To All the Guys Who Loved Me.”
The misuse of AI to create deceptive endorsements has become a growing concern among Asian celebrities. Last month, Malaysian Instagram and TikTok influencer Yipin filed a police complaint alleging that her content was altered to falsely show her promoting illegal gambling sites, highlighting a widespread issue affecting notable figures across the region.