IVE’s agency, Starship Entertainment, is engaged in a lawsuit against the operator of malicious YouTube channel Sojang.
Starship Entertainment has declared an all-out war against “Cyber Wrecker”. In particular, the agency is currently engaged in not only a civil lawsuit, but also an overseas lawsuit against the operator of the YouTube channel “Sojang”, which has been tormenting IVE for a long time.
After continuous efforts to identify the operator, Starship stated, “It is well known that ‘Sojang’ has continuously spread false information about IVE members, causing serious damage to their reputations and interfering with our business operations.”
The agency also announced that they will pursue legal action to hold Sojang accountable for their past illegal actions, regardless of the authenticity or sincerity of the apologies or explanations in the apology letter previously published.
Amidst this, IVE Jang Won Young faced yet another controversy over her “attitude”. Recently, a short video capturing Jang Won Young was widely discussed on online communities. In the video, a child suddenly approached Jang Won Young while she was walking, attempting to grab her arm. Naturally, Jang Won Young was taken aback and took a step back, while her bodyguard quickly intervened.
While some netizens claimed that Jang Won Young could have handled the situation without being scared and that her facial expression didn’t look good, most remain perplexed as to why this incident even became an issue. They defended Jang Won Young and stated that anyone, regardless of age, would be surprised when a stranger suddenly approaches and tries to touch them.
On the other hand, IVE has been enjoying huge popularity since their debut in 2021, winning both Best New Artist and Daesang awards. Moreover, Jang Won Young, who was the center of the project group IZ*ONE after winning first place in Mnet’s “Produce 48”, has always drawn the spotlight.
However, Jang Won Young has faced constant controversies. Last year, she faced criticism for eating strawberries with both hands, and was accused of “pretending to act cute”. After that, a YouTuber imitated her strawberry eating video and faced backlash, eventually apologizing.
In addition, the female idol has also faced “nationality controversies” that have followed her since the “Produce 48” days, despite her agency’s legal response.
It can be seen that criticisms towards Jang Won Young are mostly about trivial matters and seem questionable to the majority of the public. While it is understandable to criticize actions that cause social controversy or harm to others, consistently targeting a young woman over normal behavior can only be considered malicious acts.
Moreover, various “Cyber Wrecker” accounts, including Sojang, have used these baseless criticisms as a basis to create numerous rumors and pour out excessive and unfair comments.
In response, Starship declares an all-out war against Cyber Wrecker accounts. In October of last year, they filed charges against persistent malicious commenters, resulting in imprisonment sentences, employment restrictions, and listing of sex crime sites. Since November, they have been proceeding with a civil lawsuit and overseas litigation against Sojang.
Starship’s decisive and strong counter-measures have received a lot of support from fans and the public alike. Of course, taking legal actions against “Cyber Wrecker” may not completely resolve this issue, as rumors and controversies about famous individuals have been an ongoing problem. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this will set a good precedent and help to reduce baseless criticisms in the future.
Source: Daum
