Latest news with #Plave
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's ruling in Plave libel case reshapes avatar rights in the metaverse era
A recent court decision involving defamation against a virtual K-pop group is prompting fresh legal debate in South Korea over the rights of digital personas – with analysts describing it as a significant shift in how the law defines harm, identity and expression in the age of the metaverse. The case centred on Plave, a five-member boy band whose anime-style avatars exist solely in the virtual realm but are voiced and animated by real-life performers using motion-capture technology. Despite their stylised appearance, the court found that online insults directed at the avatars amounted to defamation of the humans behind them – a view legal scholars say reflects a growing recognition of avatars as extensions of individual identity. 'Considering that in today's metaverse era an avatar is not a simple virtual image but a means of self-expression, identity and social communication, defamation against an avatar can constitute an infringement on the actual user's external honour,' wrote Judge Jang Yoo-jin in the May 14 ruling, which ordered the defendant to pay damages to each of the five performers. Rather than marking the close of a dispute, the verdict is widely seen as the start of a broader legal reckoning over how societies define harm – and personhood – in virtual spaces. Fans of virtual K-pop boy band Plave look around a pop-up store in Seoul, South Korea, on March 7. Photo: Reuters The dispute began last July, when a social media user posted a series of mocking videos and derogatory comments targeting Plave, describing them as 'ugly' and ridiculing their performances. Some posts included profanity.
Korea Herald
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Virtual group Plave to launch first Asia tour
Pioneering virtual idol group to kick off 'Dash: Quantum Leap' tour after record-breaking success Plave, the leading K-pop group in the virtual artist scene, is set to embark on its first Asia tour. According to agency Vlast, Plave will kick off its "Dash: Quantum Leap" Asia tour with a concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul from Aug. 15 to 17. This will be their first performance since the "Hello, Asterum! Encore" held in Seoul in October 2024. The KSPO Dome, which can accommodate over 10,000 people, is widely considered a benchmark of popularity and success for K-pop idol groups. Plave will be the first virtual idol group ever to perform on its stage. Starting in Seoul, Plave will go on to perform in five other cities, Taipei on Aug. 23, Hong Kong on Oct. 1, Jakarta on Oct. 18, Bangkok on Oct. 25 and Tokyo on Nov. 1–2. Debuting in 2023, Plave is a five-member virtual boy group consisting of Yejun, Noah, Bamby, Eunho and Hamin. They've quickly risen in popularity across Korea and Asia, becoming one of the most successful virtual idol acts in K-pop. Using motion tracking and real-time rendering, the group translates the performers' actual movements directly into their virtual characters. Unlike AI-generated virtual humans, Plave's members perform live vocals and choreography at their concerts. The group's third mini album "Caligo Pt.1," released in February, featured the main track 'Dash,' which became the first song by a virtual idol group to enter Billboard's Global 200 chart. The album also broke Melon records with its highest-ever 24-hour streaming numbers, making Plave the only artist to simultaneously join both the Billions Club and the Millions Album record categories within a day of release. Plave is also set to expand its reach further with official Japanese debut single 'Hide and Seek,' scheduled for release on June 16.
South China Morning Post
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
As famous as BTS? Meet Plave, virtual K-pop boy band whose real identities are kept secret
The five members of Plave, one of K-pop's trendiest groups, have appeared on television, held concerts, and one of their songs has even secured a place in the prestigious Billboard Global 200, an international music chart. Advertisement On paper, they seem like any other K-pop sensation, except that they are two-dimensional avatars. Their songs and content have racked up over 470 million views on YouTube. The band, consisting of Yejun, Noah, Eunho, Bamby and Hamin, say they want to be globally recognised like K-pop sensation BTS 'We don't often get to meet our fans, so when we meet them at a concert we get very excited,' said Bamby, who has pink hair and eyes. 'They cheer for us together … we make an all-out effort when we perform.' Plave's label, Vlast, says that, unlike many other virtual groups, the avatars are controlled by humans who use motion-capture and other technology to relay their actions and singing.
Business Times
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Virtual band Plave mixes K-pop and technology to charm fans
[SEOUL] The five members of one of K-pop's trendiest groups Plave have appeared on TV, held concerts, and one of their songs has even secured a place in the prestigious Billboard Global 200, an international music chart. On paper, they seem like any other K-pop sensation, except they are two-dimensional avatars with songs and content that have racked up over 470 million views on YouTube. The band consisting of Yejun, Noah, Eunho, Bamby and Hamin, said they want to be globally recognised like K-pop sensation BTS. 'We don't often get to meet our fans so when we meet them at a concert we get very excited,' said Bamby, who has pink hair and eyes. 'They cheer for us together... We make an all-out effort when we perform.' Unlike many other virtual groups, Plave's label Vlast says the avatars are controlled by humans, using motion-capture and other technology to relay their actions and singing. However, Vlast keeps the identity of the humans behind the avatars a secret, so they spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Since its debut in 2023, Plave has broken streaming records and topped music charts in South Korea with its latest album 'Caligo Pt 1' released earlier this year, selling over one million copies in one week. 'For concerts, we connect our in-house motion capture studio directly to the actual concert venue in real-time,' Vlast CEO Lee Sung-gu said. 'This setup includes a feedback system that allows the members to see fan reactions from the concert venue as they perform.' Despite the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), Lee says his company plans to expand on the motion-capture technique. 'It's our unique strength,' he said. There is little difference between virtual and real-life idols to Chang Ya Han, a 30-year-old Taiwanese fan who learned about Plave in an Instagram video. 'The love they give us, the way they drive us to become better, or how I wake up every day wanting to see them, that feeling is the same,' she said at a crowded fan event in Seoul. Vlast describes itself as a 'virtual entertainment' startup and said it received equity investments from K-pop labels HYBE and YG Plus early last year. In recent years, technology such as AI and the metaverse have been increasingly embraced by the multi-million US dollar K-pop industry. According to Seoul-based music critic Kim Do Heon, Plave's success hinges on its interaction with fans. 'It's expensive to go to an idol group's concert and you need to use a paid messaging app to interact with them these days,' Kim said. 'But the accessibility of cyber singers makes it much easier to like them.' REUTERS
Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Virtual band Plave mix K-pop and technology to charm fans
A fan of virtual K-pop boy band PLAVE, takes photos at a pop-up store in Seoul, on March 7. PHOTO: REUTERS SEOUL - The five members of one of K-pop's trendiest groups Plave have appeared on television, held concerts, and one of their songs has even secured a place in the prestigious Billboard Global 200, an international music chart. On paper, they seem like any other K-pop sensation, except they are two-dimensional avatars with songs and content that have racked up over 470 million views on YouTube. The band, consisting of Yejun, Noah, Eunho, Bamby and Hamin, told Reuters they want to be globally recognised like K-pop sensation BTS. 'We don't often get to meet our fans, so when we meet them at a concert, we get very excited,' said Bamby, who has pink hair and eyes. 'They cheer for us together... We make an all-out effort when we perform.' Unlike many other virtual groups, Plave's label Vlast says the avatars are controlled by humans, using motion-capture and other technology to relay their actions and singing. However, Vlast keeps the identity of the humans behind the avatars a secret, so they spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Since its debut in 2023, Plave have broken streaming records and topped music charts in South Korea with its latest album Caligo Pt.1, released in February, selling over one million copies in one week. A fan of virtual K-pop boy band PLAVE shops fan goods at a pop-up store in Seoul on March 7. PHOTO: REUTERS 'For concerts, we connect our in-house motion capture studio directly to the actual concert venue in real-time,' Vlast chief executive Lee Sung-gu said in an email. 'This setup includes a feedback system that allows the members to see fan reactions from the concert venue as they perform.' Despite the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), Mr Lee says his company plans to expand on the motion-capture technique. 'It's our unique strength,' he said. There is little difference between virtual and real-life idols to Ms Chang Ya-han, a 30-year-old Taiwanese fan who learned about Plave in an Instagram video. 'The love they give us, the way they drive us to become better, or how I wake up every day wanting to see them, that feeling is the same,' she said at a crowded fan event in Seoul. Vlast describes itself as a 'virtual entertainment' startup and said it received equity investments from K-pop labels Hybe and YG Plus early in 2024, as AI and the metaverse are increasingly embraced by the multi-million dollar K-pop industry. A fan of virtual K-pop boy band Plave takes a photos with portraits of members of Plave at a pop-up store in Seoul on March 7. PHOTO: REUTERS According to Seoul-based music critic Kim Do-heon, Plave's success hinges on their interaction with fans. 'It's expensive to go to an idol group's concert and you need to use a paid messaging app to interact with them these days,' he said. 'But the accessibility of cyber singers makes it much easier to like them.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
