IU Takes Legal Action Against Haters, Files Lawsuits Amid Ongoing Harassment
Nov 11, 2024
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IU's agency, EDAM Entertainment, released an official statement on the 11th, revealing that she has been enduring serious threats, insults, the spread of false information, and baseless plagiarism accusations.
So far, a total of 180 suspects have been charged. Among them, six have received fines (for minor offenses), three have been given conditional suspensions of prosecution after completing training, and one was granted a conditional suspension of prosecution with probation. In particular, the prosecutor has demanded a fine of 3 million won for those who continued to spread unfounded false information, sexual harassment, and death threats against IU. However, the accused have objected, and a formal trial is now underway.
What is particularly shocking is that among the 180 individuals who posted malicious comments targeting IU, one is believed to be a middle school classmate of hers. The agency reported that it had identified some of the perpetrators who had been spreading unfounded plagiarism accusations around April-May of last year, with one suspect suspected of being IU's middle school alumnus.
Additionally, a civil damages suit has been filed, with the first hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in July. However, the defendant failed to appear, and the next hearing is scheduled for December 4.
The investigation into those who spread false rumors, including the "spying rumors" related to IU, is ongoing. The police have completed their initial investigation by identifying a suspect, but there have been multiple instances of the suspect refusing to appear, causing delays in the investigation.
The agency stated, "We, along with our law firm, are continuing to take strong legal action to protect the artist's honor and personal rights. We are responding swiftly and actively to illegal activities, including threats, insults, spreading false information, sexual harassment, pornography, and the distribution of manipulated videos. We are gathering fan reports and conducting internal monitoring to tackle these issues. In addition to regular quarterly complaints, we are also filing criminal complaints against severe illegal activities, insisting on strong punishment without leniency."
The agency further explained, "We collect thousands of posts and comments that meet the criteria for slanderous insults and abusive language aimed at our artist and store them in a database. In the future, if the same individual continues their malicious behavior, we will take action to ensure that additional penalties are possible based on the evidence we have gathered."
Meanwhile, IU recently held her five-month world tour, '2024 IU HEREH WORLD TOUR: THE WINNING,' at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 22, with stops at venues like KSPO Dome (Olympic Gymnastics Stadium) and cities such as Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Berlin, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. IU is also set to release the Netflix series 'When Life Gives You Tangerines.'
soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
