Accused In SEVENTEEN Mingyu’s Photo Leak Scandal Walks Free Post Investigation

An employee leaked shirtless pictures of SEVENTEEN member Mingyu in September last year, prompting a police case in the matter.

Mingyu was shooting for a brand commercial when the pictures were clicked. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

In September last year, the French luxury brand, L’Occitane, came under fire after one of its employees happened to leak some inappropriate and private pictures of K-pop star Mingyu from SEVENTEEN, stirring legal trouble. While fans at large came out in support of Mingyu, demanding action against the employee in question, the brand ended up issuing an official apology statement at the time. As per reports, the L’Occitane employee secretly took pictures of the SEVENTEEN artist during the brand’s commercial shoot, wherein he was in a shirtless state.

Despite an apology from the brand, the employee was suspended from work and even reported to the police over suspicions of secretly filming the artist without consent. After months of police investigation in regard to leaking Mingyu’s inappropriate pictures, the accused has been set free. As per a Koreaboo report, the investigation concluded that leaked pictures did not constitute any naked body without consent, considering that the idol was shirtless for the shoot’s purpose. Additionally, they also determined that there was no illegal filming, as the pictures did not cause Mingyu any “humiliation," adding that the photoshoot was to advertise a certain product.

While SEVENTEEN’s fandom aka CARATs fumed over the artist’s invasion of privacy after the leaked pictures, a section of fans have been now calling out AI-generated pictures of the artist. A couple of AI-generated pictures have been circulating on social media lately, showing him without a shirt which has left fans frustrated.

A fan wrote, You ppl are crazy, you’ve seen Mingyu shirtless countless of times yet you will hype up an AI GENERATED image? Do you not know how insane it is to AI generate someone shirtless?" while another added, “Almost 40k likes on an AI-generated pic of Mingyu shirtless and y’all don’t worry about AI and how it’s going to be used against women." “That Mingyu AI shirtless photo is so weird on so many levels. Not to mention so uncomfortable to see too," another comment read.

Amid all the discussions, the K-pop artist recently sparked excitement among his fans with his latest appearance, flaunting a sudden hair transformation. Dressed in an all-black ensemble, Mingyu’s dyed blonde hair did not go unnoticed as he appeared at the airport.

Later, he even posted pictures of himself with the new hair colour, which left fans wondering whether it was for his future military enlistment or an upcoming music video. On the work front, SEVENTEEN members are now in Singapore for the group’s highly awaited Right Here world tour.

Location :
Mumbai, India

First Published:
January 25, 2025, 10:53 IST