On August 19, the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 912 ruled in favor of BY4M STUDIO, ordering the critic—referred to as A—to pay ₩25 million in damages (₩20 million to the company and ₩5 million to its CEO) plus delayed interest.
The court determined that A’s online posts, which alleged that BY4M STUDIO intentionally spread negative sentiment toward the film Emergency Declaration, were false and harmful. The judgment stated that the company’s reputation and image suffered, while its CEO also faced direct personal defamation in the industry.
This follows an earlier August 2023 summary order from the Seoul Central District Court, where the same critic was fined ₩5 million under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation and business obstruction). The critic did not appeal, making the fine final.
A had argued that because BY4M STUDIO invested in several 2022 releases—Hansan: Rising Dragon, Alienoid Part 1, and Hunt—but not Emergency Declaration, the company allegedly drove negative online reactions against the latter.
In response, Emergency Declaration distributor Showbox requested a police investigation in September 2022. By October of that year, BY4M STUDIO filed a criminal complaint, stating: “Critic A has been recklessly spreading falsehoods and posting defamatory content targeting our CEO and staff. We will correct the record through legal means.”
Now a leading distributor, BY4M STUDIO has rapidly risen in the Korean film market. In just three years since entering the film business, the company became the No. 1 distributor by revenue in early 2025, releasing hits such as Hitman 2 and The Match.
This ruling marks another victory for BY4M STUDIO as it strengthens its foothold in the domestic film industry while clearing its name from past allegations.
Sources: SPOTV News
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