JYP Entertainment has shared an update on the agency’s ongoing legal efforts to protect its artists from malicious online activity and stalking.
On May 20, the agency released a statement revealing that it has filed criminal complaints and reports against individuals who created, generated, or distributed malicious content targeting its artists both in South Korea and overseas. According to JYP Entertainment, some individuals are currently under investigation, while others have already been found guilty of violations related to defamation, sexual crimes, and other offenses.
Hello. This is JYP Entertainment.
We are conducting ongoing monitoring and taking strict legal action against various illegal activities targeting our artists.
Through fan reports, our own internal monitoring, and a dedicated malicious content monitoring system, we are detecting and collecting malicious content in real time across major domestic and international online community platforms including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Naver, Nate Pann, Daum Café, TheQoo, DCinside, Ruliweb, FM Korea, MLBpark, Instiz, X, and Bilibili, as well as messaging platforms such as Telegram and KakaoTalk Open Chat. We are continuing to take strong legal action — including criminal complaints and civil claims — against those who create and distribute such malicious content, with a strict policy of zero settlements and zero leniency.
Based on information collected through community platforms, messaging applications, social media channels, and our ethics violations reporting system, we have filed criminal complaints and reports against individuals who created, generated, or disseminated malicious content targeting our artists. These individuals are either currently under investigation by law enforcement authorities or have already undergone serious investigation. Some have already been found guilty of violations of the Information and Communications Network Act, the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, and other related laws, resulting in criminal fines, as well as court-ordered mandatory completion of sexual violence treatment programs, and employment restrictions at institutions related to children and youth.
Legal action against malicious content posted on overseas online platforms and against perpetrators residing abroad, is also being pursued without exception. Specifically, we are continuing to identify individuals responsible for creating such content through domestic court-ordered evidence collection procedures and overseas court discovery proceedings, and we are pursuing monetary damages — both domestically and internationally — against those whose identities have been confirmed.
In this regard, a U.S. court dismissed objections raised by the opposing party on the grounds of “freedom of expression” in relation to our discovery proceedings and ultimately issued an order requiring disclosure of information. This clearly demonstrates that using overseas platforms as a workaround to infringe upon artists’ personal rights, or attempting to justify unlawful conduct under the guise of freedom of expression, will no longer be legally tolerated.
Stalking behavior that threatens the safety of our artists and seriously infringes upon their privacy is also subject to our zero-tolerance approach. Courts have already granted temporary restraining orders against certain perpetrators, and through criminal complaints and reports, we have requested thorough investigations into additional offenses committed during the course of stalking activities. In parallel, we are pursuing civil claims for damages against such perpetrators. We are likewise actively utilizing overseas discovery procedures to pursue legal remedies against stalking perpetrators residing abroad.
As demonstrated above, we maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy, without exception, toward all illegal activities, including the creation, generation, and distribution of malicious content as well as stalking behavior exploiting anonymity. Materials already collected and preserved as evidence will continue to be submitted to domestic and international investigative authorities, regardless of whether the original posts have been deleted, accounts made private, usernames changed, or memberships withdrawn.
We make it unequivocally clear that we will continue to take strong legal action under our zero-tolerance policy against any and all conduct that infringes upon the rights and interests of our artists.
If you discover any unlawful activity infringing upon our artists’ rights and interests, we kindly ask you to report it to our Fan JYP account (fan@jype.com). We also ask for your continued support and cooperation in building a respectful environment in which both artists and fans can take pride.
We sincerely thank you for your continued love and support for JYP Entertainment artists, and will continue to take proactive measures to protect them.
Thank you.