Hong Kong’s prison service has withdrawn an anti-drug video featuring AI-generated virtual K-pop idols after social media users said it, on the contrary, resembled a promotion campaign for illegal substances.The Correctional Services Department uploaded the controversial video, titled “Obsession: The Sugar-Coated Trap,” to its social media platforms on Friday. The one-minute video featured four AI-generated female K-pop stars named Weedy, Icy, Coke and Little E — representing cannabis, ice, cocaine and etomidate, a strictly regulated anaesthetic agent — who sang and danced while promoting their effects.“Give me a snort,” Icy told viewers. Weedy said: “With a romantic puff of smoke, only one stick will help you forget all worries so chill!”The video was meant to warn the public about the dangers of drug abuse, with the K-pop stars eventually transforming into four old men locked behind bars, ending with the slogan: “Drugs are extremely harmful and can ruin a life.” However, the message backfired.
Video removed twice after public backlash
The department quickly removed and revised the video after social media users said it appeared to promote drug use. One Threads user commented: “After listening to their introductions, I want to try (taking drugs).” Another said the video felt more like a promotion, adding: “They listed out (drug) names, and how good they feel.”The revised version showed the four band members turning into ugly old men who are later locked up behind bars, but it was also removed from the department’s Facebook page on Saturday evening. The department later posted a statement thanking internet users for their opinions and apologising for the video’s production and delivery.“In the future, we will evaluate our entire process for producing promotional content for social media, and will ensure the message of crime prevention and education is clear and accurate,” the administrator of the department’s Facebook page said.The department said the video was created using AI and aimed to show that “through a method popular with young people, that drug use is poison packaged in a sugar-coated form, reminding them not to be tempted by it.” Since the film was handled in-house by staff responsible for multimedia production and social media management, it did not involve additional public funds, a spokesman said.
Anti-drug campaigns face scrutiny
The incident comes months after Hong Kong’s Security Bureau apologised for an advertising blunder in another anti-drug campaign, which appeared to encourage the use of illegal substances when viewed from certain angles. In March, a banner featuring Cantopop star Aaron Kwok and the slogan “Let’s stand firm together and not take drugs” went viral after some words were obscured from certain angles, leaving the message: “Stand firm together and take drugs.“The department said it would continue to review and optimise its publicity strategies to more effectively promote its work on social media platforms.
