Latest news with #JangWonyoung
Pink Villa
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
IVE's Jang Wonyoung defamation case: Sojang fights back, appeals 50 million KRW penalty order
The heated legal fight between Starship Entertainment and the controversial YouTube channel Sojang has taken a new turn. While Starship secured a major win in court earlier this month, the legal clash is far from over. The channel operator has officially filed an appeal. According to legal insiders, on June 18, the operator behind Sojang submitted an appeal. The aim is to contest the ruling handed down by the Seoul Central District Court just weeks prior. This move has reignited public attention on the case, which has made headlines due to its ties to some of the biggest names in K-pop. Starship's win in civil court Back on June 4, the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided by Judge Choi Mi Young, issued a ruling. The court ruled in favor of Starship Entertainment in their civil lawsuit against Sojang. The court concluded that the YouTuber had damaged the reputation of Starship and its artists by repeatedly spreading false and defamatory content. The court ordered Sojang's operator to pay 50 million KRW (approx. 36,500 USD) in damages to Starship. The agency had initially sought 100 million KRW in compensation, but the court settled on a partial ruling. It's still a clear legal victory for the company. Who is Sojang, and what did they post? The operator behind Sojang became infamous across the K-pop fandom space for posting cyberbullying-style content. These videos aggressively targeted celebrities with unverified rumors, manipulated stories, and malicious speculation. From October 2021 to June 2023, the channel built a large viewership. It did so by consistently posting videos aimed at idols like Jang Wonyoung (IVE), BTS, EXO, aespa, and Kang Daniel. The backlash against Sojang grew rapidly as fans and agencies began pushing for accountability. Reports later revealed that the YouTuber had allegedly earned 250 million KRW (approx. 80,000 USD) through monetization during the peak of the channel's activity. During this time, they continued to harm reputations with each upload. Multiple legal fronts: Civil and criminal The civil lawsuit wasn't the only legal action taken. Starship and Jang Wonyoung personally pursued criminal charges against Sojang's operator as well. The court, after reviewing evidence and patterns of behavior, sentenced the individual to two years in prison. However, the sentence was suspended for three years. This is a form of probation that allows the defendant to avoid jail unless further offenses occur. However, even that ruling has been challenged. Prosecutors have filed an appeal, expressing dissatisfaction with the suspended sentence. They believe it does not reflect the seriousness of the case. In a separate damages lawsuit, Jang Wonyoung also won a partial victory. The court ordered Sojang to pay the IVE member 50 million KRW in damages. It further solidified that the content in question was not only harmful but legally punishable. Other idols join the fight Sojang is not only facing legal pressure from Starship and Jang Wonyoung. Additional lawsuits are ongoing from top-tier artists and agencies. They include BTS (BigHit Music), EXO (SM Entertainment), aespa, and soloist Kang Daniel. In several of those cases, the court has already sided with the idols. The court acknowledged that the channel's videos had a huge impact on the mental health, image, and careers of the stars involved.
Korea Herald
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Starship Entertainment wins lawsuit against cyberbully 'Taldeok Prison Camp'
Notorious "cyber wrecker" operator faces continous defeat in lawsuits Starship Entertainment, the agency behind girl group Ive, has won a partial victory in its lawsuit for damages against cyberbully YouTube channel "Taldeok Prison Camp." On Tuesday, the court ruled in favor of Starship, ordering the channel operator, a woman surnamed Park, born in 1988, to pay 50 million won ($37,000) in damages. The verdict will serve as a strong warning to a growing number of so-called "cyber wrecker" channels, which profit from spreading malicious, baseless rumors and defamatory content about celebrities. From November 2022, Starship filed both civil and criminal suits against 'Taldeok Prison Camp,' citing the continuous spread of false claims that severely defamed the agency and its artists, disrupted business operations, and caused significant emotional distress to both the artists and their fans. The agency initially sought 100 million won in damages. To identify the anonymous channel operator, Starship utilized the US legal system's discovery process. They first obtained a disclosure order from a US court and demanded that the identity of the person behind "Taldeok Prison Camp" be revealed to Google's US headquarters. Park became the first anonymous Korean YouTuber to be unmasked and brought to court. Between October 2021 and June 2023, Park uploaded 23 defamatory videos targeting seven celebrities. Earlier this year, Jang Wonyoung also won a separate civil suit against Park, with the court ordering Park to pay another 50 million won in damages. Park has faced other lawsuits and convictions for spreading malicious rumors about other K-pop stars, including Kang Daniel, Karina, Suho, V and Jungkook. In one such case, she was convicted in the first trial and sentenced to two years in prison, with three years' probation. The appeal is ongoing. In a statement following the court's decision, Starship said, 'Through this ruling, we have pursued every possible civil and criminal avenue against the operator of 'Taldeok Prison Camp.' We believe this result holds her legally accountable beyond the financial gains she made from her illegal acts.' The agency added, 'This case sends a clear and powerful warning to so-called 'cyber wrecker' creators who profit from content that defames, insults or slanders others for clicks and revenue.'
Pink Villa
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
IVE's Jang Wonyoung and agency win 50M KRW defamation lawsuit against Sojang, following BTS' Jungkook and V
The Seoul Central District Court has delivered a significant verdict in a civil defamation lawsuit involving the now-deleted YouTube channel Sojang. The channel is also known as Taldeok Camp. Its operator has been ordered to pay 50 million KRW in damages to Starship Entertainment. The compensation is for distributing false and defamatory content about IVE member Jang Wonyoung. On May 4, 2025, Judge Choi Mi Young of the court's 50th Civil Division presided over the first trial hearing. It had initially been postponed from its original date of April 23. The court partially sided with Starship. They concluded that the channel's content had seriously harmed both the idol's image and the agency's reputation. Basis for court's decision While the agency had filed for 100 million KRW in damages, the judge awarded 50 million won plus interest, citing multiple aggravating factors. The court considered: The number and severity of the uploaded videos, The malicious and misleading nature of their content, Starship's prominent status within the entertainment industry, The central role of Jang Wonyoung and IVE in the agency's business operations, The fact that Sojang operated as a high-profile 'cyber wrecker', influencing public opinion and fueling online hate. Moreover, it was noted that each of Sojang's defamatory videos garnered between 100,000 and 1 million views. This amplifies the damage done to Jang Wonyoung's public image. About Starship vs Sojang case Starship Entertainment has been pursuing both civil and criminal litigation against the operator since November 2022. The operator was previously indicted under South Korea's Information and Communications Network Act, which penalizes acts of defamation and online personal attacks. Sojang had built a reputation for targeting high-profile celebrities through a series of videos spreading baseless claims. In addition to Jang Wonyoung, the channel also published harmful content about BTS, Kang Daniel, and other K-pop stars and influencers. Reports revealed that the operator profited nearly 250 million KRW from monetized views before the channel was ultimately taken down. Sojang's mounting legal defeats Apart from her agency's legal actions, Jang Wonyoung herself had independently filed a separate lawsuit of 100 million KRW against the same channel. In January 2025, the court ruled in her favor. It ordered the operator to pay another 50 million won in compensation directly to the idol. The May 4 ruling is only the latest in a series of courtroom losses for Sojang. In November 2024, the channel operator was ordered to pay 30 million won in damages to Kang Daniel. The court found the posted content to be false and intentionally damaging. In another significant judgment from February 2025, Big Hit Music, along with BTS members V and Jungkook, won a combined 76 million KRW in damages against Sojang. The breakdown included: 51 million KRW to Big Hit Music, 10 million KRW to V (Kim Taehyung), 15 million KRW to Jungkook. These repeated losses paint a grim picture for the channel's operator, who now faces a heavy legal and financial burden.
