Starship has updated fans on its efforts to sue malicious commenters against their artists.
Recently, a controversial YouTube channel by the name of Sojang was presumably ‘hacked’ and all of the videos were deleted as a result. This was followed by what seemed to be an apology from the creator of the channel for their videos.
Sojang was infamous among the kpop community both domestically and overseas for spreading malicious defamation, false information and personally attacking some of the biggest Kpop idols in the industry. Their videos had millions of views and were always considered a source of concern to the fans of the kpop idols who were targeted.
Among the famous Kpop idols they’d usually target with their videos was Wonyoung, who ended up receiving a lot of hate and harassment from netizens due to Sojang.
On July 25, Starship issued a statement to update fans on the legal proceedings against such channels and revealed they have went to great lengths to obtain the info of Sojang to sue them for defamation among other things.
They also revealed that their apology will not cut it and they will persist to sue them for the videos they’d previously posted.
Read their statement below!
Hello, this is Starship Entertainment.
We would like to provide you with an update regarding the legal actions we are taking to protect the rights of our artists against malicious defamation, dissemination of false information, personal attacks, and posts damaging their reputation on various online platforms.
In October 2022, we filed lawsuits against habitual malicious commenters, resulting in convictions with sentences of 6 months of imprisonment, employment restrictions, and placement on the sex offender registry. Starting from November 2022, we have been proceeding with civil and criminal lawsuits against the operators of the YouTube channel Sojang through the law firm “Leeu Law Firm” (Attorney Jung Kyung-seok). Additionally, in May 2023, we received information disclosure orders from the U.S. court, and in July 2023, we obtained significant information about the YouTube channel Sojang from the U.S. Google headquarters.
However, unfortunately, around the time when the information disclosure order was made to the operator of Sojang by Google, the YouTube channel was suddenly ‘hacked,’ resulting in the deletion of existing videos on the channel, the disappearance of the account itself, and the posting of an apology notice.
Sojang has continuously spread false information about our artist, IVE members, causing serious damage to their reputation and interfering with our business. This is a well-known fact, and even in a post by the YouTube channel operator on Nate Pann, they admitted to this themselves. Regardless of the authenticity or sincerity of the center’s apology, Starship will pursue civil and criminal charges for their past illegal activities through the ongoing legal process.
We are currently in the process of confirming additional personal information about the operators of Sojang YouTube channel and other relevant parties through legal procedures. While we have taken legal actions against some YouTube channels in the past, many cases were discontinued due to difficulties in identifying their identities. However, this time, working with the law firm “Leeu,” we have taken actions that significantly allow us to trace their identities and hold them accountable.
To protect the honor, privacy, and rights of our affiliated entertainers, we operate a continuous monitoring system. We will not hesitate to take all possible legal actions without any compromises against cases of artist defamation and additional damages in the future.
We sincerely appreciate the information and tips provided by our fans, as they have greatly contributed to our legal preparations and responses. We kindly request your continued support and submission of relevant information.
Thank you.
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