Requests for Photos and Videos, Threats, and Grooming
Audition scams
How grooming uses praise and a sense of closeness to solicit photos, what to do if someone threatens to share recorded material, and where to get free removal support.
1. How grooming starts
- They lead with praise and promises of opportunities, saying things like, "You’re really talented" or "I’ll recommend you specially."
- They move the conversation to a personal messenger instead of an official channel and say, "Keep this secret from your parents."
- They start by asking for ordinary photos, then gradually request more revealing photos and videos.
- They offer gifts, money, or audition opportunities, then use them as leverage to make bigger demands.
2. What the law prohibits
Under the 「아동·청소년의 성보호에 관한 법률」 (Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse), adults can be punished for engaging in sexual conversations with children or teens for sexual purposes, or for enticing or soliciting them to engage in sexual acts. This applies whether it happens online or in person. Threatening to share recorded material is also a crime.
3. If you are being threatened
- Do not send money or additional photos. The demands usually do not stop and only escalate.
- Save screenshots of the conversation, account, and demands, and save the person’s profile URL before blocking them.
- Do not try to handle it alone. Tell a trusted adult. The victim has done nothing wrong.
4. Where to get help
- Emergencies and reporting: 112
- Central Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center 02-735-8994: Counseling, help removing recorded material, monitoring for distribution, and referrals for investigative and legal support (free)
- Women’s Emergency Hotline 1366: 24-hour counseling
- Youth Counseling 1388: Phone, text, and KakaoTalk
When requesting help with removal, prepare the URL of the post where the material was shared and screenshots to speed up the process.
Source: 중앙디지털성범죄피해자지원센터
Translated from Korean by AuditionPass. The Korean original is authoritative.
Related guides
- 5 Steps to Check Whether an Agency Is Legitimate — Check 대중문화예술기획업 registration, compare audition notices on official channels, and verify the email domain and office address to spot impersonators and fake agencies.
- Safety Guidelines for Auditions and Meetings — Protect yourself by declining meetings in unofficial locations, one-on-one late-night meetings, drinking invitations, and on-the-spot contract demands. Bring a parent or guardian and share your locat…
- If You’ve Sent Money — Steps to Take After a Scam — A step-by-step guide to requesting a payment suspension, preserving evidence, reporting to the police, and preventing follow-up scams after sending money for audition fees or a deposit.
- Protecting Your Personal Information and Photos in Your Audition Application — How to spot audition application processes that ask for your Resident Registration Number, ID copy, or verification code, and protect submitted photos and videos from misuse.
- Protection Provisions for Minors under the 대중문화예술산업발전법 (Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act) — Maximum of 35 hours per week for those under 15 and 40 hours for those aged 15 to under 19; restrictions on nighttime activities; and, from August 2025, bans on forcing excessive exposure, appearance…
Related pages
Open auditions
- 2026 YG GLOBAL AUDITION - [VANCOUVER-TORONTO] — YG Entertainment · Deadline 2026-11-15 06:00 KST
- PROJECT NOIR : BAND AUDITION — JYP Entertainment · Deadline 2026-11-15 23:59 KST
- Chord Banditz - Open Call: BAND MEMBERS — MORE VISION · Deadline 2026-11-22 23:59 KST
- Online Audition (온라인 오디션) — MORE VISION · Rolling
- BRAVE AUDITION — Brave Entertainment · Rolling