MOMOLAND's Nancy became a victim of photo morphing as doctored pictures claiming to be snapped when she was undressing did the rounds on social media. The claim was that one of the staff members had leaked her photos. However, Nancy's agency MLD has issued a statement in this regard and revealed that the pictures were doctored.
"Recently online and on SNS, photos related to Nancy that were illegally manipulated are being spread. Nancy is a victim of a photo that was taken in secret and then photoshopped. The person to be protected is Nancy. We ask that you cooperate," the statement from MLD read.
Action Against Those Circulating Doctored Images
Further, MLD also clarified that the agency will take strict legal action against the people who manipulated the image circulated it. Nancy's label also said that anyone who tries to spread the photo will be investigated by the police as well as international legal bodies.
"We will be going through our legal representative to file suits on sexual harassment as well as the spread of explicit photos. Nancy is currently psychologically hurt. We beg you. Please do not hurt our artist with malicious posts," the statement said.
Earlier, reports were published claiming that photos of Nancy changing her costume, with the help of female staff members and stylists, was circulating in online platforms including Discord servers, and Twitter. The pictures were said to be taken by a staff member who was present on the occasion. Reports also claimed that the photo was taken during the 2019 Asia Artist Awards (AAAs) ceremony.
From Group Chat to Social Media
The picture was first posted in a group chat that had more than 500 people. The photo was then shared on Discord servers including MIDZY server and also on NSFW Twitter accounts. But with the clarification issued by MLD, it has become clear that the photo was doctored. The agency is still investigating the matter and the person who uploaded the photo originally is being tracked.
MOMOLAND's fans have started clearing the searches on Twitter to stop the spread of doctored images of Nancy. They are posting tweets raising concerns about Nancy's privacy. Fans are also requesting netizens not to circulate the pictures. Online community supporting Nancy has also started to post positive comments about MOMOLAND and complimenting Nancy.
Nancy Jewel McDonie is a Korean-American singer, actress and host apart from being the member of MOMOLAND. The Kpop group MOMOLAND was formed on Nov. 10, 2016 with the winners of the Mnet's reality survival show Finding Momoland.