Starship Entertainment, the agency of the group IVE, partially won a first-instance lawsuit against the YouTuber 'Anti-Fandom Shelter' and was awarded 50 million won in damages, but the channel operator, Mr. A, has appealed against this ruling.
According to the legal community on the 19th, Mr. A, the operator of Anti-Fandom Shelter, submitted an appeal on the 18th against the court's ruling that 'Mr. A must pay 50 million won to Starship Entertainment.'
Previously, on the 4th, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 50 (Judge Choi Mi-young) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in part (awarding 50 million won in damages) in the lawsuit filed by Starship Entertainment against Mr. A, the operator of the YouTube channel 'Anti-Fandom Shelter.'
Starship has been taking a strong stance against cyber defamation since November 2022, conducting both civil and criminal lawsuits against 'Anti-Fandom Shelter.'
'Cyber Defamation' refers to YouTubers who maliciously edit or splice videos about celebrities and other public figures to attract attention and make money, similar to tow trucks that rush to traffic accidents. 'Anti-Fandom Shelter' became controversial for posting malicious rumor videos about famous artists, including Jang Won-young. The channel 'Anti-Fandom Shelter' is currently no longer active.
Mr. A was indicted for posting 23 YouTube videos defaming seven celebrities, including Jang Won-young, from October 2021 to June 2023, on charges of defamation and insult under the Information and Communications Network Act, and was sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year probation in the first instance. The prosecution has appealed against this ruling, and the second trial is currently underway.
Previously, Jang Won-young also filed a damages lawsuit against Mr. A, and in January, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Appeal Division 9-3 ruled that 'Mr. A must pay 50 million won to Jang Won-young.' This was also an appeal against the original ruling of 100 million won in damages, which was reduced to half in the appeal.
Mr. A has also been indicted for spreading malicious rumors about other idols besides Jang Won-young, receiving guilty verdicts and losing in damages lawsuits. In September of last year, he was fined 10 million won for defamation against singer Kang Daniel, and two months later, he was ordered to pay 30 million won in damages in a lawsuit filed by Kang Daniel.
Additionally, in February, a damages ruling was made ordering him to pay 76 million won to BTS members V and Jungkook.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
