SM Entertainment has confirmed that they filed a lawsuit in April against the operator of the controversial online platform “Taldeoksooyongso”. The case involves EXO’s leader Suho and members of the girl group aespa—Karina, Ningning, Winter, and Giselle. The first trial occurred on September 2nd at the Incheon District Court.

Details of the Lawsuit

Operator: The individual identified as Mr. A is charged with multiple offenses including violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, primarily for defamation.

Accusations: Mr. A is accused of producing malicious videos from October 2021 to June 2023. These videos allegedly targeted several celebrities including IVE’s Jang Wonyoung, members of BTS, and solo artist Kang Daniel.

Profit: The videos are reported to have generated approximately 250 million KRW (about 190,000 USD) in profit. ![Placeholder for courtroom image or related image]

Court Proceedings and Defense

Admission and Denial: During the trial, Mr. A admitted to producing the videos but denied the charges of defamation and obstruction of business. His defense attorney claimed that there was no intent to defame and argued that the content was believed to be truthful expressions of opinion, not defamatory.

Current Status: The first trial took place on September 2nd, with ongoing proceedings.

Related Lawsuits

• Jang Wonyoung’s Lawsuit: Jang Wonyoung and her agency, Starship Entertainment, have also filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr. A. In January, the Seoul Central District Court ruled partially in favor of Jang Wonyoung, awarding damages. However, Mr. A has appealed this decision and requested a suspension of enforcement. Mediation attempts between the parties have not yet resulted in an agreement.

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