Celebrities’ Battle Against Cyberbullying: Suzy, Lee Junho, Jang Wonyoung’s Fierce Responses
Cyberbullying now acts as a shackle for celebrities.
Recently, Korean stars have been responding firmly to cyberbullies. Here are some representative cases:
Suzy
On July 27th, the 3rd division of the Supreme Court confirmed the original judgment sentencing a man in his 40s, named Lee, to a fine of 500,000 won for leaving insulting comments to Suzy.
Lee was charged in 2015 for posting comments on a news portal that insulted Suzy, saying, “A bubble created by her agency, just a hotel girl for the people” and “A failure in movies.”
In the first trial, he was acquitted, claiming that his comments were a legitimate critique of the commercial aspect of the entertainment agency and a representation of the public’s interest in celebrities.
However, the Supreme Court returned the case to a lower court, considering the phrase “hotel girl” as an expression that could lower the social evaluation of Suzy, beyond the scope of legitimate criticism.
Lee Junho
On July 28th, according to JYP Entertainment, the Seoul Western District Court issued a simplified order imposing a fine of 3 million won on an internet user, A, for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation) charges.
A is accused of continuously spreading false information and seriously damaging Lee Junho’s character by writing insulting posts about him multiple times.
The court stated, “The defendant posted false content on online communities, repeatedly expressing dissatisfaction with the victim (Lee Junho). Through this, the defendant maliciously spread false information about the victim on the internet, damaging the victim’s reputation with the purpose of defaming him.”
Last August, JYP sued the persistent cyberbullies who kept posting malicious comments about Lee Junho, warning that they would take all necessary legal measures against the original writers and spreaders of false information and rumors.
Jang Wonyoung:
On June 25th, Starship Entertainment announced its policy regarding legal responses to infringements of its artists’ rights. They pledged to take strong legal action against malicious insults, false information, personal attacks, and defamation posted on the internet and social media.
Starship stated, “In October 2022, we proceeded with a lawsuit against persistent cyberbullies, resulting in a 6-month imprisonment and other penalties, including employment restrictions and being listed on sexual crime websites. Since November 2022, we have been pursuing civil lawsuits and overseas litigation against ‘Sojang’.”
The YouTube channel ‘Sojang’ was notorious for generating profits by spreading cyberbullying and false rumors about celebrities. They baselessly attacked famous idols and actors, causing damage to their reputation and character. IVE Jang Wonyoung, in particular, was caught up in rumors of dating BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, who is 16 years older than her.
On June 26th, ‘Sojang’ publicly apologized on Nate Pann with the title “I am Park Joo Ah, the operator of Sojang.” In the apology, they admitted their wrongdoing and apologized to the actors and singers they had insulted, especially bowing deeper to Jang Wonyoung.
However, Starship asserted that regardless of the truth and sincerity of Sojang’s apology, they would hold them accountable for their past illegal actions in civil suits.
Source: wikitree
