Byeon Woo-seok unsheathes his sword against malicious commenters···“A hard-line response without exception” - 스포츠경향

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Actor Byeon Woo-seok posing. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Baro Entertainment, the talent agency representing actor Byeon Woo-seok, Lee Chae-min, and others, has initiated legal action against malicious commenters.

In an official statement on the 2nd, Baro Entertainment said, “Unlawful acts such as defamation, insult, and sexual harassment directed at our artists continue online and on social networking services (SNS),” and added, “Based on evidence secured through tips from fans and our own monitoring, we are proceeding with legal action with the law firm Yulchon.”

Investigative authorities conducted identification procedures for the authors of posts on major anonymous online communities and SNS platforms, including DC Inside, Women's Generation, Nate Pann, and Ruliweb. As a result, it was confirmed that the identities of some of the accused have been identified (investigative authorities). The case has now been transferred to the investigative body with jurisdiction over the address of each accused, where follow-up investigations, including verification of the facts, are under way.

The agency also cautioned against indiscriminate, speculative dissemination related to the progress of the investigation. Baro Entertainment explained, “Arbitrarily mentioning or spreading unverified information could impede the investigation and may give rise to additional legal disputes.”

It also stated, “Not every matter may result in punishment, but for confirmed unlawful acts, we will respond firmly without exception, regardless of the individuals involved,” suggesting there will be no settlements or leniency going forward.

We have confirmed that unlawful acts targeting our affiliated artists including malicious slander, the spread of false information resulting in defamation, insults, sexual harassment, and personal attacks have been occurring continuously online and on SNS. Through tips from fans and our own monitoring, we have been continually securing evidence against the authors of malicious posts and comments that infringed upon the reputation and rights of our artists, and we are pursuing legal action together with the law firm Yulchon.

We are also actively cooperating with all procedures including submitting necessary materials and presenting opinions so that the related matters can receive stern punishment in accordance with the law and principles, and we provide an update on the progress to date.

Investigative authorities have carried out identification procedures for the authors of online posts and comments across major online communities and SNS platforms, including DC Inside, Women's Generation, Nate Pann, and Ruliweb. Accordingly, the identities of some of the accused have been identified, and the case has been transferred to the investigative body with jurisdiction over the address of each accused, where follow-up investigations including verification of facts and interview procedures are proceeding in sequence.

However, arbitrarily mentioning or spreading unconfirmed information about matters under investigation may give rise to further legal disputes and, at this time, could hinder the investigation, so we note that it is difficult to disclose specific details such as particulars of the progress of the investigation and information regarding the accused.

We are continuing around-the-clock monitoring of posts and comments related to our artists across online communities, SNS, and various platforms, and we are securing evidence through ongoing monitoring and documentation for posts that could infringe on rights, such as slander, ridicule, and defamation targeting our artists. While not every matter may lead to punishment, based on continuous monitoring we will respond firmly and without exception to confirmed unlawful acts, holding those responsible fully to account to the end, regardless of who they are.

We will continue to do our best to respond in order to protect the rights and interests of our affiliated artists.