Two of the accounts associated with sharing the photos have been suspended
South Korean police have been called in to investigate how private photos of K-pop and Blackpink star Jennie Kim ended up online.
This happened after leaked photos shared on Twitter and Telegram showed the Blackpink star dining with V, from fellow K-pop group BTS.
Blackpink’s label YG Entertainment announced that Jennie faced “personal attacks” and “sexual harassment” as a result of the leak.
The company asked the police to identify the person responsible for the original leak of the photos and announced that it would take all possible legal measures “without any mercy, to prevent further damage in the future.”
The statement added that the photos that ended up on the internet were circulated illegally, “regardless of the intentions behind them and without the consent of the person involved”.
YG also asked fans of the music group to refrain from sharing the photos more widely.
Two of the accounts associated with sharing the photos have been suspended.
While YG has not confirmed which photos she is referring to, several images have been circulated online showing Jennie and V (real name Kim Tae-hyung) having dinner together.
One of the people allegedly involved in the leak claimed the photos were originally posted on a private account, with either Jennie or V captioning it, “You’re my other half.”
Other photos reportedly show the pair traveling together and taking selfies in matching Winnie-The-Pooh T-shirts.
As the BBC reports, none of the images are of sexual content, but one facial photo reportedly shows Jennie in the bathroom.
The two stars’ faces are partially covered or blurred in many of the images, leading some fans to speculate that these are fake or staged photos.
BTS’s management company, Big Hit Music, filed a separate lawsuit over what it described as defamatory posts containing “false information” and “malicious rumors” — though it did not specifically mention the photos of V and Jennie.
One of the alleged leakers, who posts under the username Gurumiharibo, denied that he had received legal blows from the two music groups’ companies.
“I have not received any legal notice from anyone,” he wrote in an online chat room. “If anyone wants to sue me for defamation and/or spreading falsehoods, I will be willing to provide relevant evidence of my claims in the name of the law.” .
With information from the BBC
