The reason why BoA and SM were quick to give a tough response to malicious comments directed at her on “Street Man Fighter”
After BoA addressed the criticism she received, SM announced strong legal actions.
Earlier today (September 21st), following the latest episode of “Street Man Fighter” broadcast on September 20th, BoA said on her Instagram story, “The teams that battle for elimination are not decided by the judges. Would it have caused less disappointment if Bank Two Brothers was eliminated? I get tired of constantly thinking like this.”
BoA was referring to the criticism she received for her decision as a judge in the battle round between dance crews on “Street Man Fighter” that led to the elimination of Prime Kingz.
After a rematch, Prime Kingz’s defeat and Banks Two Brothers’ victory were decided by unanimous votes by BoA, Super Junior’s Eunhyuk, and 2PM’s Wooyoung.
In particular, many viewers were outraged at the fact that the three judges abstained and induced a rematch. After the broadcast was over, angry viewers rushed to BoA’s Instagram to leave comments criticizing her. Among them, the number of people who personally attacked BoA is also increasing rapidly.
There were even comments demanding BoA to leave “Street Man Fighter”, such as “BoA does not have the qualifications to judge yet she comes out and ruins the whole program. Stop appearing.”
SM Entertainment, BoA’s agency, has also quickly issued a tough response to the situation. On the afternoon of September 21st, SM Entertainment released an official statement, saying, “Malicious comments, defamation, and personal insults are indiscriminately posted and disseminated on various online communities, SNS and portal sites including BoA’s personal Instagram. This is clearly illegal and subject to strong legal action. We do not overlook the current situation and have already collected data on illegal acts in civil and criminal courts that are taking place online to protect our artist. Under the principle of zero tolerance, we are continuously monitoring and taking strong legal action against those who engage in illegal activities.”
BoA herself and SM issued such a tough response in only less than a day after the show’s broadcast because the level of malicious comments directed at BoA has crossed the line. Hundreds of comments on the level of personal attacks and defamation flooded in overnight.
However, this may only be the beginning. The fandom of the cast of “Street Man Fighter” is growing day by day. So, of course, the feedback from fans will also have a much stronger level of power than before.
“Street Man Fighter” was No.1 for three weeks in a row in the ranking of most buzzworthy non-drama TV announced by Good Data in the second week of September. In addition, its Consumer Price Index (CPI) also ranked first in the entertainment sector for 3 consecutive weeks. The 4th episode of “Street Man Fighter” recorded an average viewership rating of 2.8% and the highest real-time rating of 3.3% (according to Nielsen Korea), topping its time slot, including terrestrial broadcasters.
As such popularity accelerates and the elimination of the dance crews is starting, it is only natural that viewers’ criticism of the results decided by the judges will intensify. Therefore, if BoA and SM chose silence instead of taking actions, this terrorism of malicious comments may spread out of control in the future.
Source: Daum
