Photos circulating online that appear to show a member of K-pop girl group Momoland, Nancy, undressing prompted the band’s management, MLD Entertainment, to take legal action.
According to MLD, the illicit photos that appear to show the 20-year-old singer were manipulated before being circulated on the internet without her knowledge. The company is working with its lawyers to take action against those responsible.
Nancy – a Korean-American singer born Nancy McDonie – is said to be deeply troubled by the invasion of privacy.
Illegally taken photos and videos showing women in intimate situations, known as molka, are a serious problem in South Korea. A molka epidemic has been fuelled by hidden cameras placed in public restrooms, hotels, fitting rooms, and other places.
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South Korea has passed a law to hold perpetrators accountable for filming molka, but women’s rights activists and those working in related legal fields regularly criticise a lack of enforcement.
Along with molka, female K-pop stars have also fallen prey to digital manipulation, with their images being edited into sexual photos and videos. In 2019, Rolling Stone reported that nearly one-quarter of deepfake porn videos contained images of K-pop stars.
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