Police launched an investigation into a L'Occitane Korea employee for posting unauthorized photos of boy band Seventeen's Mingyu.

A L'Occitane Korea employee was reported to the police for sharing dozens of private photos of Mingyu on their personal Instagram account. The photos were taken during the K-pop singer's photo shoot with L'Occitane Korea and contained a topless image of the Seventeen member.

The employee will be investigated for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, which is when someone takes photos of others and distributes it without their consent.


L'Occitane Korea apologized for the incident on Sept. 3 through X, formerly known as Twitter.


"We sincerely apologize for the recent incident involving the unauthorized release of photos from the L'Occitane Asia Ambassador campaign."

The brand also said "the employee involved has been completely removed from all duties, and immediate disciplinary action has been enforced."

A netizen said online that they have submitted a complaint regarding the incident on e-people — an online service where individuals can file complaints with the head of their local government — and also lodged a criminal complaint.

“It is clear that the employee was aware that the photos could trigger sexual desires or cause embarrassment,” the netizen said. “I strongly urge [the police to give a] severe punishment following an immediate investigation.”

Mingyu was appointed as the L'Occitane Asia Ambassador in May.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]