SEVENTEEN
The idol group SEVENTEEN (S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The8, Mingyu, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon, Dino) is continuing its battle against malicious commenters.
This past May, all members of SEVENTEEN filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages of approximately 148 million KRW (around 100,000 euros) with the Seoul Central District Court.
No court date has been set yet, and notably, the identity of the defendant remains unknown—an aspect drawing particular attention.
This legal action targets internet users who have spread false information or malicious rumors about SEVENTEEN.
On June 17, the group’s label, Pledis Entertainment, stated via the fan communication platform Weverse:
“We are taking the current situation very seriously, as many malicious posts—including excessive insults and the spread of false information about SEVENTEEN, continue to be published.“
“As part of our regular legal action related to defamation and leaks of artist-related information, some suspects have been identified, and the charges against them have been acknowledged. Their cases have been forwarded to the prosecution, and we are awaiting the outcome.“
They also added:
“This quarter, we conducted extensive monitoring across platforms like Twitter (X), Korean online communities, music sites, and international social media. Posts and comments violating the group’s rights were collected as evidence and submitted to law enforcement as part of new complaints.”
Pledis further explained:
“We’ve initiated legal actions, including both criminal complaints and civil lawsuits, against multiple accounts that have repeatedly posted defamatory remarks and spread falsehoods.“
“We are in the process of requesting official disclosure of user information from relevant courts, including those in the United States, to swiftly identify the account holders.”
“Despite our previous legal efforts, the insults and attacks against our artists continue. We view this with the utmost seriousness. Therefore, we are reinforcing our monitoring and response systems to ensure continuous and structural protection, rather than one-time actions.“
Even with the lawsuit filed, identifying the perpetrators takes time and may ultimately prove unsuccessful, making the legal process challenging and complex.
This isn’t the first time SEVENTEEN has faced such issues. In March, an airline employee was prosecuted for leaking the members’ flight information.
At the time, Pledis Entertainment stated:
“Since 2023, we have been collecting evidence to file criminal complaints regarding the repeated leaks of confidential information about SEVENTEEN’s unreleased albums and concerts via anonymous message boards. An investigation is ongoing.”
“An airline employee who illegally sold flight information of the members has been indicted for violating the Information and Communications Network Act. We’ve also filed complaints under the Anti-Stalking Act, as part of our active efforts to protect the artists’ privacy.“
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS SEVENTEEN
