[Full Text] IU "First lawsuit against malicious commenters results in criminal punishment... No leniency for the second lawsuit either"

Singer IU / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Singer IU’s side has revealed the situation regarding the lawsuit against malicious commenters.

IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment, stated on the 24th through their official social network service (SNS), "Regarding the lawsuit filed last October through the law firm Shinwon against malicious defamatory posts targeting the artist, the perpetrators were initially found guilty of the crime of insult under Article 311 of the Criminal Act (punishable by imprisonment or detention for up to one year or a fine of up to 2 million KRW) and have been criminally punished, and other perpetrators are also facing criminal punishment."

EDAM Entertainment added, "The second lawsuit is currently under investigation, and as with the first, we will respond firmly without any settlement or leniency," and "We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide detailed updates on the progress until the investigation is complete, but we will inform you again once the results are out."

Furthermore, EDAM Entertainment stated, "We will continue to take all civil and criminal measures, including regular criminal lawsuits and civil claims for damages, against habitual and malicious posts aimed at defaming our artists and fans," and "For the safety and happiness of artist IU and her fans in 2020, we will strive to eradicate malicious posts."

The following is the full statement from IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment

Hello, this is EDAM Entertainment.

Previously, EDAM Entertainment announced that it would take strict legal action without leniency against malicious posts such as false information dissemination, sexual harassment, defamation, personal attacks, and privacy invasion targeting our artist IU, through monitoring various online communities and SNS channels.

Regarding the lawsuit filed last October through the law firm Shinwon against malicious defamatory posts targeting the artist, the perpetrators were initially found guilty of the crime of insult under Article 311 of the Criminal Act (punishable by imprisonment or detention for up to one year or a fine of up to 2 million KRW) and have been criminally punished, and other perpetrators are also facing criminal punishment.

Upon confirmation, it was revealed that the majority of the perpetrators had repeatedly posted malicious posts and comments defaming the artist.

The second lawsuit currently underway is under investigation, and as with the first, we will respond firmly without any settlement or leniency. We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide detailed updates on the progress until the investigation is complete, but we will inform you again once the results are out.

We are closely monitoring all aspects related to the artist through our own monitoring and materials sent by fans, including malicious posts and communities.

Also, due to the closed nature of some private communities, the reports from fans like you are very helpful, and we are continuously monitoring and recognizing the seriousness of the situation.

We will continue legal actions based on the materials we have collected and those reported by fans, so we ask for your continued cooperation.

We fully empathize with how painful it is to see malicious posts about someone you love dearly, so all our staff carefully and responsibly review every report email.

We will continue to take all civil and criminal measures, including regular criminal lawsuits and civil claims for damages, against habitual and malicious posts aimed at defaming our artists and fans.

EDAM Entertainment will strive to eradicate malicious posts for the safety and happiness of artist IU and her fans in 2020.

We will listen carefully to the precious feelings of our fans. We ask for your continued cooperation as always. Thank you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.