Reality deficit: how South Korea lost the plot on AI - South China Morning Post
A deepfake of an "average Korean woman" at a baseball game went viral, fooling millions before being exposed by a detail in the background.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- BTS star Jungkook
In May 2024, a deepfake incident in South Korea highlighted the increasing sophistication and potential impact of AI-generated content. A short video clip of a woman at a baseball game went viral, captivating millions before being revealed as a fabrication.
What happened
The clip depicted a woman in the stands, presented as an "average Korean woman." The internet quickly dubbed her a "baseball goddess," and the five-second video spread rapidly. However, an inconsistency in the background exposed the deception: the scoreboard showed an impossible match-up between a current and a retired player. The woman was AI-generated. Following this incident, similar deepfakes emerged, with users inserting themselves next to celebrities like BTS star Jungkook in various settings.