Ailee's Nude Scandal

(Hilary)

Photo taken from Google Images (no copyright intended)

If you dabble at all into the K-pop universe, you’ve probably been attacked on various social media sites with the wild commotion that spewed from popular Korean American singer, Ailee’s, nude photo scandal publicized by one of the most trafficked U.S.-based K-pop news site, allkpop.com. Allkpop broke the news back in November of 2013, publishing unauthorized photos of the singer with censored black bars and watermarks just to eventually take down the post completely due to a slew of negative reader comments. Contrary to 6Theory Media’s, allkpop’s parent company, claims to have obtained the photos from an anonymous image board AnonIB, the Vice President of Content for allkpop who is Ailee’s ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lee, admitted to have attempted to sell the images to a South Korean media outlet Dispatch, convincing many readers that it was he who leaked the photos. Dispatch has since released a transcription of its correspondence with Lee, which dates back to July of 2013, a month after Ailee’s photos were posted to an Anon forum thread. Lee wanted to sell nude photos of Ailee to Dispatch; otherwise, he claims that he will just go public with these images with another media outlet. 

Translation of Dispatch's conversation with Daniel Lee, Ailee's ex-borfiend and allkpop VP (credit: here)

However, Lee denies to have leaked the pictures to his own publication. Additionally, 6Theory Media released an official company statement claiming that a Canadian tipster emailed them in June attempting to sell nude photographs of the Korean American singer for $3500. Allkpop was not interested in the photos; contacted YMC Entertainment, Ailee’s management, about the matter; and claimed that YMC disregarded the issue. Nevertheless, allkpop communicated to YMC that if a third party were to post anything relative to Ailee’s photos, it was allkpop’s “job and duty as a news site” to post the story. Lo and behold on November 10, 2013, allkpop received an email from whom they suspected to be the same tipster who contacted them several months prior in June, as the IP addresses of both emails traced back to the same ISP in Toronto and ultimately decided to break the story. 

YMC Entertainment released an official statement in order to provide some groundwork from which the nude photos of their client stand. YMC explained that the nude photographs were test shots taken while Ailee was still in the U.S. after she received an offer to be a lingerie model for a famous underwear company. The agency claimed to need nude photographs for better “examination of her body”; however, this agency proved fraudulent when it cut all contact with Ailee after receiving her photographs and those of many other college women as well. The police were unable to make any arrests due the complexity of the Internet based operation, causing Ailee to turn to her then boyfriend and VP of allkpop, Daniel Lee, who persuaded her to send him the photos so the he could “get a better idea on the issue.” YMC continues to say that they would seek legal action against the person who circulated these images. 

A few days following the eruption of the scandal, Lee took to the Seoul Broadcasting System program One Night of TV Entertainment in attempt to clear the air. Lee reaffirmed 6Theory Media’s official statement about the Canadian tipster and continued with an apology but claimed to not have leaked the photos. Nonetheless, many of Ailee’s fans continue to defend their idol as the “victim” and condemn Lee as the “criminal.” 

Comments from fans of Ailee regarding her nude photos (credit: here)

Similarly allkpop readers were quick to criticize the site for leaking Ailee’s personal photos and putting Ailee under a negative light. Allkpop CEO Johnny Noh and staff member Matt Kim took to their Twitters to address the widespread scrutiny surrounding their site in regarded to “leaking” the nude photographs of Ailee. 

Tweets from allkpop CEO Noh and staff member Kim in response to the backlash their post of Ailee's nudes received from angry fans (credit: here)

I personally do not know whether I completely buy Daniel Lee’s story nor can I really believe that Ailee took nude photographs of herself for a potential career as a lingerie model. She could have taken those pictures for her them boyfriend, which is rather common in this day and age, but I think it is easier and more advantageous for her management to paint her in the most victimized and innocent light possible, as innocent as nude photos can be, I guess. I am not Ailee’s biggest fan not because of her nudes; however, I cannot deny that she has got some major vocals, which are always showcased in her songs, such as “Singing Got Better,” which is her most recent single that was released in January of this year following the incident. (Read my thoughts about the single here.) I suppose as a singer or anyone in the entertainment industry for that matter, the best strategy to address a scandal of any sort is to work on a new project. And for Ailee, it was her new single. Which story do you guys buy? Let me know in the comments!


References

http://seoulbeats.com/2013/11/ailee-nude-photo-scandal-rundown/

http://www.asianjunkie.com/2013/11/ailees-nude-photos-leaked-by-ex-boyfriend-an-allkpop-employee-according-to-report-conclusions-reactions/