The group SEVENTEEN and their agency HYBE have intensified their pursuit of cyberbullies and malicious commenters.
According to a report by Maeil Business Star Today on the 8th, SEVENTEEN and HYBE submitted a discovery request to the Northern District Court of California on the 2nd (local time).
This request targets the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube operator Google LLC, primarily aiming to secure information about the malicious content disseminated on these platforms and the identities of its authors.
The materials obtained through this process are expected to be used as evidence in future civil and criminal lawsuits in South Korea.
Previously, IVE's Jang Won-young identified the operator of the YouTube channel '탈덕수용소' through the US discovery system and filed a lawsuit, while YouTuber '과즙세연' also secured the identity of the operator of the channel '뻑가' in the same manner to take legal action.
Thus, the discovery system of the US courts is emerging as a legal means to respond to those spreading false information or malicious comments, providing clues for accessing information about overseas companies' owned SNS or platforms that are difficult to approach under domestic law.
Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN previously warned through their official fan community last month that they are continuously collecting evidence against malicious posts targeting artists online and that legal actions are currently underway.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
