The issue of "Cyber Lexica", indiscriminately generating malicious rumors and false information, is not a matter of yesterday or today. Despite serious warnings from stars and their agencies to take legal action, these entities have been abusing "fake news" for profit, openly continuing their activities as if mocking the industry. In the end, the girl group IVE (An Yujin, Gaeul, Lee Seo, Jang Wonyoung, Liz, and Rei) under Starship Entertainment has decided to draw their swords. Starship emphasized that the lawsuit against the operator of 'Cyber Lexica' will be different this time as they have obtained significant information about them.
On July 25, Starship stated, "Since November last year, through the law firm Lee & Ko (Attorney Jeong Gyeong-seok), we have been dealing legally and firmly with the malicious slander, spread of false facts, defamatory posts, and malicious comments about our artists online and on SNS."
The company also revealed they are conducting civil and criminal lawsuits against Talteok Sooyongso, a YouTube channel notorious for spreading extreme rumors about IVE member Jang Wonyoung, and other lawsuits overseas.
In May, Starship received an information disclosure order from the US District Court for the Northern District of California, and this month they obtained significant information about the operator of Talteok Sooyongso from Google headquarters in the US. The cooperation of Google, which operates YouTube, demonstrated a stronger will to respond.
Up to now, it has been difficult to trace Cyber Lexica as they mostly operate anonymously and have their headquarters overseas, such as YouTube. There are also many calls for stronger legal regulations. It's attracting attention what kind of result Starship's strong response to Cyber Lexica will bring.
The channel Talteok Sooyongso, targeted by Starship, has been deleted. The person known as 'A', claiming to be the operator, has suddenly posted an apology on an online community and brazenly opened a new channel, causing outrage.
Starship explained, "Coincidentally, around the time Google notified us about the information disclosure order to the operator of Talteok Sooyongso, all the videos on the channel were deleted, the account disappeared, and an apology notice appeared, claiming the channel had been hacked. It is a well-known fact that Talteok Sooyongso caused serious defamation by continuously spreading false facts about IVE members, and it has interfered with our business. The post claiming to be the operator of Talteok Sooyongso on Nate's board also acknowledged this."
Starship continued, "Regardless of the truth of the apology of Talteok Sooyongso, we will pursue civil and criminal responsibility to the end through the ongoing lawsuit for past illegal acts." They added that they are in the process of confirming additional personal information about the operators of Cyber Lexica, including Talteok Sooyongso, through legal procedures.
Previously, other K-pop idol singers such as BTS, Red Velvet, and aespa also suffered from Cyber Lexica. BTS's V even suggested legal action in December 2021 saying, "I'll sue you. I guess I'll get my cookie money," against a Cyber Lexica that spread malicious rumors. However, the harm done by Cyber Lexica has yet to be eradicated.
Starship emphasized, "Although there have been legal actions against Cyber Lexica before, many cases were suspended without identifying their identities. However, we have taken steps that can considerably identify the perpetrators, in collaboration with the law firm Lee & Ko, and we plan to hold the operators of Cyber Lexica, including Talteok Sooyongso, responsible through this."
Moreover, Starship stated, "We operate a constant monitoring system to protect the rights of our artists, including their honor, privacy, and personality. We plan to take all possible legal measures without agreement for further cases of defamation and additional damages to our artists in the future." The criticism against Cyber Lexica, which promotes hatred with malicious and distorted information, is growing. The eyes are on Starship, which has drawn its sword, to see whether it can uproot the Cyber Lexicas that exploit provocative content for 'business of hatred'.