STARSHIP Entertainment responds to the Supreme Court's dismissal of A's appeal regarding defamation against its artists, emphasizing legal action.
January/30/2026 17:19
The appeal of Mr. A, the operator of the YouTube channel "Taldoku (De-otaku) Detention Center," was dismissed by the Supreme Court. In response, STARSHIP Entertainment released an official comment. Since November 2022, STARSHIP has been conducting legal procedures, both civil and criminal, alongside identity verification procedures utilizing the American discovery system. As a result, the Supreme Court's Second Division (Ma) issued a ruling yesterday (29th) dismissing the appeal without a hearing against Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation) and others. In this regard, the office stated on the 30th, "The original trial recognized that even if unverified content is packaged in the form of speculation or raising doubts, if it is perceived as a fact in the overall context, it may constitute the dissemination of false facts, and celebrities should be sufficiently protected in terms of honor and personality rights. The Supreme Court confirmed that there was no misunderstanding of legal principles in this judgment through this ruling." STARSHIP emphasized, "We prioritize the protection of our artists' rights. We will continue to take strong legal action against all illegal acts, including the dissemination of false facts, defamation, and violations of personality rights, without any goodwill or agreement. Furthermore, we plan to take all possible legal measures in accordance with relevant laws, including criminal complaints, against acts of 'cyber wrecking' that spread fake news using anonymity or create cyberbullying through videos and content based on this. We will also conduct ongoing monitoring and legal measures to prevent similar damage from recurring." Mr. A was indicted for posting false videos about celebrities, including IVE's Wonyoung, BTS's V, and Jungkook, on YouTube from October 2021 to June 2023. He earned approximately 250 million won (about 2.6 million USD) through this. The first and second trial divisions sentenced Mr. A to 2 years in prison with 3 years of probation, a fine of 210 million won (about 2.21 million USD), and 120 hours of community service.
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