Actor Jung Yoon-min is speaking out and expressing his frustration after sparking controversy with an AI-synthesized photo of himself and Brad Pitt.
On the 11th, Jung Yoon-min posted a second statement just three hours after admitting that a photo he shared two days prior, claiming he met Brad Pitt in Bukchon, was actually created by AI.
He started by saying, “First, I apologize to those who know me for the confusion.” However, he added that he found the “late explanation” narrative baffling, stating, “I posted a single photo lightly to raise awareness about the dangers of AI technology, and I didn’t know it would be distorted to this extent.”
He continued, “What’s most absurd is that reporters took my feed without permission to create articles, even though I never asked them to.” He felt he was being framed as if he enjoyed the situation and only tried to clean it up later.
Jung Yoon-min expressed deep regret over the use of provocative headlines to drive clicks. He added, “I think the ‘reality’ of spreading information without verification and framing people to make them look foolish is scarier than AI technology.”
Previously, on the 9th, Jung Yoon-min posted a photo of himself and Brad Pitt on his social media with the caption, “It’s amazing to meet Bread-hyung in the alleys of Bukchon,” without mentioning that it was an AI-generated image.
The “proof shot” of a Korean actor meeting a Hollywood superstar quickly went viral, even leading to misunderstandings that Brad Pitt had made an unofficial visit to Korea.
After remaining silent throughout the weekend, Jung Yoon-min finally admitted on the 11th, “To get straight to the point, it is an AI-generated image.” He explained, “I was scared by how sophisticatedly AI can create real people and backgrounds, so I shared it lightly to encourage awareness, but it unintentionally received a lot of attention.”
