Celebrities wrestle with online trolls

Entertainment
08/26/2023 11:18

Celebrities wrestle with online trolls

By Pyo Kyung-min

NCT member Mark / Courtesy of skyDrama

K-pop idols and celebrities, including NCT’s Mark and singer IU, are battling online trolls who post malicious comments while demonstrating ways to foster a more positive connection between celebrities and their fans.

SM Entertainment, which manages NCT, announced on August 21 that it had identified the suspect who circulated malicious posts targeting member Mark, but offered leniency. The agency announced that Mark himself had expressed his willingness to show mercy given the suspect’s underage status.

“We maintained our zero tolerance policy to protect our artists. However, we weighed up the circumstances that the individual in question was a minor, showed genuine regret and asked for forgiveness during the investigation. Consistent with Mark’s willingness to grant clemency, we have done so.” “I have decided not to press charges. The individual has formally apologized and promised to prevent a repeat of this, which we have acknowledged,” the agency said.

In contrast, an online troll who spent eight years making malicious comments about Suzy, a former member of girl group Miss A, wasn’t so lucky.

A court fined a man in his 40s 500,000 won ($378) for posting malicious comments against Suzy, and a higher court upheld that sentence again last month. The same person was charged in 2015 for posting offensive remarks about Suzy and subsequently received an actual sentence.

Singer IU (left) and Suzy, both victims of online trolls / Captured from IU, Suzy’s social media

The well-known singer IU also had to deal with an online troll.

In 2022, IU agency EDAM Entertainment took action against an online troll who had been insulting and personally attacking IU online since 2019. The perpetrator was found guilty and received an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

In response, the IU agency said: “We are fully committed to enforcing strict measures to ensure that creators of harmful content face serious legal consequences against our artists at all times.” It added: “During this process, no compromises or Forbearances considered.”

Additionally, in October 2022, K-pop girl group Ive filed a complaint against an online troll. This resulted in the perpetrator being sentenced to six months in prison, being subject to employment restrictions and being listed on sex crimes registers.

K-pop girl group Ive / Courtesy of Starship Entertainment

Since November 2022, Ive has also been pursuing civil and criminal proceedings against the YouTube channel “Sojang”. The channel, whose account was deleted, was notorious for spreading false rumors about Korean celebrities.

Starship Entertainment, Ive’s agency, stressed that regardless of any apologies from the channel, legal action will be taken for its past harmful activities.