K-pop group SEVENTEEN (S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The8, Mingyu, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon, Dino) continues its battle against malicious commenters.



All members of SEVENTEEN filed a civil lawsuit in May through the Seoul Central District Court, claiming damages amounting to approximately 148 million KRW (about 110,000 USD). However, no court date has been set yet, and notably, the defendants remain unidentified—referred to as anonymous individuals whose identities have not been confirmed.

This legal action targets netizens who have posted malicious content, including false information, about the group.



On June 17, SEVENTEEN's agency, PLEDIS Entertainment, stated via the fan communication platform Weverse:


"We are acutely aware of the current situation in which numerous malicious posts involving excessive insults and the spread of false information about SEVENTEEN are being circulated. In regular complaints and legal cases concerning the leaking of artist information, suspects whose identities were confirmed have been referred to the prosecution, and we are awaiting the results."



They continued:

"This quarter as well, we have monitored overseas social media platforms such as Twitter (X), domestic online communities, music sites, etc., collected evidence of posts and comments that infringe on our artists' rights, and submitted complaints to investigative agencies based on that evidence."

PLEDIS further emphasized:

"We have initiated legal action, including criminal complaints and civil lawsuits, against multiple accounts that repeatedly posted defamatory and false content. To promptly identify the account holders and take follow-up measures, we are proceeding with legal procedures such as information disclosure requests to courts in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Despite our existing legal actions, defamation and slander against the artists continue, and we take this situation extremely seriously. We will strengthen our continuous evidence collection and response system to ensure sustainable and structural protection, rather than treating this as a one-time issue."



Although the lawsuit has been filed, it may take a considerable amount of time to identify the individuals involved. In the worst-case scenario, it might not even be possible to confirm their identities, making it difficult to proceed.

This is not SEVENTEEN’s first time facing such issues. Back in March, an airline employee was criminally charged for leaking the members’ flight information.



At the time, PLEDIS stated:


"Since 2023, confidential information about SEVENTEEN’s unreleased albums and concerts has been leaked multiple times through anonymous online forums. We began gathering evidence to pursue legal action, and investigative authorities have been conducting an investigation into the complaint."



They added:

"The airline employee who illegally sold SEVENTEEN members' flight information has been criminally charged with violating the Information and Communications Network Act. We have also filed complaints under the Stalking Punishment Act for actions that invaded the artists’ privacy and will continue to respond actively to such matters."





Written by Yoon Sang Geun
Translated Lee So Yun