K-pop star IU is continuing strong legal actions against malicious comments and the dissemination of false information. On the 11th, her agency, EDAM Entertainment, announced that it has filed criminal complaints against about 180 individuals for illegal activities including threats and defamation against the artist. This is a measure to protect the artist’s honor and personal rights, with individual complaints being filed in addition to regular quarterly complaints against illegal activities.
So far, there have been six fines and three cases of suspended indictments, and some defendants are awaiting formal trials. The agency is especially intensifying legal actions against those who have made baseless plagiarism allegations against IU, with the related cases still ongoing. Some of these individuals are suspected to be IU’s middle school alumni and are believed to have been persistently harassing her.
Particularly, the agency has been securing personal information of those committing illegal acts using overseas servers, and civil lawsuits for damages are also underway against them. The agency emphasized, “There will be no settlements or leniency,” stressing a strong response to malicious commenters. They are continuously collecting evidence through fan reports and internal monitoring, and plan to continue with strong legal actions.
In the future, IU and her agency will maintain a firm stance against authors of malicious posts, strongly urging a halt to illegal activities on online platforms. The agency stated, “The artist and fans are suffering from malicious posts,” and announced plans to strengthen investigations with the cooperation of relevant institutions. The development of the situation is being closely watched.
