An online hater of South Korean singer and actor Lee Junho has been fined 3 million Korean won (Dh8,635) on defamation charges.
Junho, who is the lead actor in the hit K-drama King The Land, is also a member of the K-pop band 2PM. Reportedly, the actor’s agency, JYP Entertainment had recently filed a case to sue an online hater who spread misinformation about the actor.
On July 28, JYP Entertainment shared an update stating that the Seoul Western District Court had found “the perpetrator, who repeatedly spread false information about Junho and wrote articles that severely damaged the artist's personality”.
According to an article on the South Korean entertainment news website naver.com: “The Seoul Western District Court recently ordered the perpetrator… for the violation of [South Korea’s] Act of Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (Defamation) and was sentenced to a fine of 3 million won.”
The court added: “The defendant had complaints about the victim (Lee Jun-ho) on an online community and posted untrue content several times. In this way, the accused defamed the victim by openly stating false information through information and communication networks for the purpose of slandering the victim.”
After the court’s decision, JYP Entertainment announced: "We are taking stronger measures by strengthening our monitoring route and selecting additional law firms to sue.”
JYP Entertainment also shared its statement on the protection of its artists.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the fans who always support and love our artists, and as the artist’s agency, we prioritise the safety and protection of the rights and interests of the artist, and we will mobilise all available measures, including legal sanctions, against acts that interfere with this. We promise to take strong action,” their statement read.
