This precedent win has definitely sparked positive change within South Korea’s entertainment industry in dealing with defamation.
On January 17, 2024, it was revealed that South Korean personality and IVE member Jang Wonyoung had won her civil lawsuit against the controversial YouTuber Sojang. The news was announced by Wonyoung’s agency Starship Entertainment in a statement detailing the legal proceedings that took place.
Below is the translated statement as translated by Soompi:
“Hello. This is Starship Entertainment.
We want to inform you about the current state of progress regarding the legal action against the infringement of rights of Starship Entertainment’s artists.
Since November 2022, the agency has been carrying out criminal and civil suits as well as an overseas lawsuit against “Sojang” who has been continuously been harassing our artists. Through the continuous circulation of false information, “Sojang” committed grave defamation, and they not only hindered with the agency’s business but also caused serious pain to artists and fans. Thus, the agency is doing our best so that they are held civil and criminal liability through the currently ongoing lawsuit.
The criminal charges filed against “Sojang” were recently forwarded from the police to the prosecution and are awaiting stern judgement from the law. As it is still an ongoing matter, we believe that judicial judgement has yet to be made. Aside from that, there are two civil lawsuits filed against “Sojang.” The civil lawsuit filed by the agency is scheduled to be pleaded with in January, and the [lawsuit] artist Jang Wonyoung herself raised was not responded to by the other party, so the case was won through deemed confession. The agency plans on once again informing [regarding legal matters] through an official statement after all the legal judgements are made.
We are constantly operating a monitoring system to protect the rights of our artists including their reputation, privacy, and their human rights, and we plan to take all possible legal actions without leniency for the current and future cases of defamation or other additional damages caused to the artists.
We ask for fans to continuously send reports as they have been of great assistance in our response to the legal proceedings and legal actions.
Thank you.”
The Seoul Central District Court had sided with IVE’s Jang Wonyoung on December 21, 2023, and ordered Soojang to pay ₩100million (around PHP4,169,667.62) for damages caused to the artist.
“Sojang,” also known as “Park,” operated a controversial YouTube channel named “Taldeok Camp and was infamous for its persistent spreading of numerous false rumors about Jang Wonyoung. These rumors included how she [Wonyoung] forced a supposed 7th member of IVE to leave and how she had been sued by another idol for having a “love affair” with a male celebrity.
It was also revealed consequently that Sojang had apparently paid people to leave malicious comments on Jang Wonyoung’s videos— ₩50 won for short comments and ₩100 won for long comments.
탈덕수용소가 알바 모집해 악플 유도 😡
“유튜브 장원영 영상마다 표정 고나리 댓글 달 사람 구합니다… 짧은 댓글 50원 긴 댓글 100원 쳐드립니다" pic.twitter.com/bgUOvdIHk2
— ACCENDIO MV🪄 OUT NOW (@iveyouth) January 18, 2024
Jang Wonyoung’s win has been celebrated immensely by the K-Pop fan community and was praised greatly by the media for having set a precedent in the South Korean industry.
It is said that her victory in this civil lawsuit against malicious rumors will serve as an example for similar lawsuits in the future.
Idk how many times i've said im proud of wonyoung over these past 6 years. Keep speaking ur truth, queen! Dont let anyone silence you pic.twitter.com/aN9TgPpqJZ
— CHECK #votingpollforive (@gelph0bic) January 18, 2024
wonyoung knowing SK laws alone wouldn't enough to get sojang so she hired lawyers from firm overseas and to sue them with both international and korean laws and successfully doing that is such a victorious news and mind you she trying to push that since 2022 when she was still 18
— ً (@tewigs) January 18, 2024
actually changing the idol industry by taking real actions we love you wonyoung pic.twitter.com/FOzYs9bgMX
— ؘ (@wonyovers) January 17, 2024
dives been saying the hate train against wonyoung and ive was sooo forced and turns out ppl were literally getting PAID to say nasty about wonyoung… but according to kpop stans ive’s company is the one paying for other groups to get hated on 💀 pic.twitter.com/au4T7dRtcZ
— jayla (@jangyeongz) January 18, 2024
EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU JANG WONYOUNG!! 🔥🥹
“with her lawsuit victory, account who insulted celebrities by using an ‘overseas site’ as a shield can no longer avoid the law” 👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/JNLvST8hqX
— aespajjang 💘 (@iveaespajjang) January 18, 2024
every agency in korea are now contacting wonyoung's team to ask how to disclose personal information from Google and get U.S laws involved to sue international haters hiding behind overseas sites. the next few months will be filled of lawsuits and it's all thanks to wonyoung pic.twitter.com/eXITOd38nC
— what (@jangcentre) January 18, 2024
WAIT I REMEMBER THIS BEFORE THAT SOMEONE WAS WILLING TO PAY JUST TO POST HATRED THINGS TOWARDS WONYOUNG. I DIDNT KNOW SOJANG WAS BEHIND OF IT!?¿ WTF??? https://t.co/M9kYqnS9Zg pic.twitter.com/u2dbYwrcvx
— 𝐳𝐯. ♡̶ ~| ☀️HEYA-ACCENDIO🔮 (@wuju_nyeong) January 18, 2024
Imagine the impact that Wonyoung had eating that strawberry that after two years is still in your mind https://t.co/37AozI1m0V pic.twitter.com/2JUrqm0586
— Ale (@puppuzjin) January 17, 2024
wonyoung is literally changing the idol industry because now there's other companies asking how she got in contact with the US to make this lawsuit feasible. and you're all out here thinking its shade. like girl, no. its literally a FACT.
— jinx 🝮 ive lockdown (@jiheulz) January 18, 2024
https://twitter.com/DragonAndBallZz/status/1747847807137095844?s=20
wonyoung really did a whole another lawsuit on her behalf in total silence only to win it after three months and her only statement was that she wasn’t the only victim. changing the whole industry at 19 like whos doing it like her
— vic (@enhaclerc) January 17, 2024
the fact that wonyoung also freed newjeans from sojang’s filthy ass are enough for you to stop speaking against wy like she singlehandedly hired personal lawyer, taking her case to us court to personally sue that old btch to protect her and her celebrity colleagues https://t.co/QyFjUFWHzB pic.twitter.com/5gFQHQWpwx
— alfie | IVE HEYA🌅 (@chameleun) January 18, 2024
YALL JUST MAD CAUSE WONYOUNG ACTUALLY CHANGED THE IDOL INDUSTRY https://t.co/MBRxpBFv2J pic.twitter.com/pG3J91WyPQ
— HEYA OUT IN STORES 💘 IA (@naoislei) January 17, 2024
god please take away all the pain and suffering wonyoung go through, triple it and give it to those ppl who make bad cmt about her and that hag sojang.
— 𝐇𝐄𝐘𝐀 of a btch 🍀 (@annyeongzboss) January 18, 2024
will never forgive yall for bullying wonyoung when shes been dealing with this lawsuit in silent to protect her & UR FAVES. everytime she’d go on bubble feeling sad I just knew sumn was up but she’d always reassure us that shes okay. pic.twitter.com/PxhLr5Piwf
— wonyoung ive | gunwook zb1 (@jangwonyia) January 17, 2024
never forget how this bitch profited off of spreading destructive rumors about idols especially wonyoung for months.. deserves every single bit of her wrath AND MORE https://t.co/GNPDaXaoWF pic.twitter.com/ovVgQVHUNB
— kay (@nyeongjang) January 17, 2024
https://twitter.com/DragonAndBallZz/status/1747844407515316236?s=20
https://twitter.com/yoonstereotype/status/1747537755536842875?s=20
Jang Wonyoung paved the way and changing idol industry, mind you shes only 19 y.o https://t.co/yZR8C9oxwB pic.twitter.com/DfWVXwDA7l
— .🫡. (@Seulmin26) January 18, 2024
It’s quite amazing to think how resilient Jang Wonyoung is; for her to survive such a bitter and hostile onslaught of defamation and to then come out victorious in the end. And to think, she’s been receiving this ever since she was just a minor.
Hats off to you, Jang Wonyoung. We’ve never been happier to see an idol hold their haters accountable for their actions.
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