Bang Chan’s lawsuit against the creators of deepfake videos of him is a September 2025 application in the US District Court for the Central District of California, filed under his legal name Bahng, asking the court to force X to hand over the identities of the anonymous accounts that posted AI-generated clips showing him appearing to use racial slurs and make sexually explicit remarks. The court approved the subpoena within days. Bang Chan intends to use the identifying information to pursue civil or criminal proceedings against the users in South Korea.1Times of India. Stray Kids Bang Chan’s Deepfake Controversy: Idol’s Appeal Gets Approved
What the Deepfake Videos Showed
The clips used AI to paste the Stray Kids leader’s face onto footage that made him appear to use racial slurs, perform racist gestures, and make sexually explicit comments. None of it was real. “The videos are fake. I did not agree to their creation or posting,” Bang Chan said in his court filing. At least two X accounts shared the videos, which then went viral.2allkpop. Stray Kids Bang Chan Pursues Identities of X Users Who Posted Deepfakes
In his personal declaration, Bang Chan said the fabricated content caused “significant harm to my reputation as a singer” and left him with “significant mental distress, physical distress, and humiliation.” He added that he was “devastated by the sexually explicit manner in which I have been falsely depicted.”1Times of India. Stray Kids Bang Chan’s Deepfake Controversy: Idol’s Appeal Gets Approved
Why the Case Was Filed in a US Court
The petition was filed on September 1, 2025, as case number 25-80260 in the Central District of California, with a personal declaration from Bang Chan attached.3PACER Monitor. Declaration of Christopher Chahn Bahng, Case No. 25-80260 It is not a damages suit against the users. Because X is based in the United States, Bang Chan used a US court proceeding that lets a foreign national obtain evidence for use in litigation abroad. The only relief he sought was a subpoena requiring X to disclose the personal identifying information tied to the accounts that posted the deepfakes.1Times of India. Stray Kids Bang Chan’s Deepfake Controversy: Idol’s Appeal Gets Approved
The court granted that subpoena. As of the most recent reporting in September 2025, the process to compel X to turn over the account information is underway, and no names have been made public.1Times of India. Stray Kids Bang Chan’s Deepfake Controversy: Idol’s Appeal Gets Approved
What Happens Next in South Korea
Once the identities are disclosed, Bang Chan plans to pursue civil or criminal action through the South Korean courts.1Times of India. Stray Kids Bang Chan’s Deepfake Controversy: Idol’s Appeal Gets Approved The framework there was tightened the year before. On September 26, 2024, the National Assembly amended the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, raising the maximum sentence for producing and distributing deepfake pornographic material from five to seven years, regardless of whether the creator intended to distribute it.4East Asia Forum. South Korea Confronts a Deepfake Crisis The amendment also made it a crime to purchase, store, or view such material, punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won (roughly $22,600).5CNN. South Korea Deepfake Bill Passed
Enforcement is not straightforward. Encrypted platforms, VPN use, and the cross-border nature of the content make identifying and prosecuting creators difficult, which is why the US discovery step matters here.6GZERO Media. South Korea Banned Deepfakes: Is That a Realistic Solution for the US
A Separate Filing by Felix
Around the same time, Stray Kids member Felix filed his own subpoena application in the US District Court for the Northern District of California to identify an anonymous X user who had posted claims that he “treats staff like servants” and “acts like a prince.”7Koreaboo. Stray Kids Felix Distressed by Bullying Staff Allegations Felix’s earlier civil defamation case at the Seoul Eastern District Court had stalled because the user could not be identified; the US court granted his subpoena on September 5, 2025.8allkpop. Stray Kids Felix Takes Legal Action Against Social Media User The two members used the same US mechanism at roughly the same time, but the cases are separate and involve different allegations.