IU is fighting back against the toxic side of K-pop fandom!
The beloved 31-year-old singer has sued 180 people, including former classmates, for defamatory comments that claimed she was a spy and plagiarized others’ work.
On November 11, her agency EDAM Entertainment shared an update on the criminal cases filed against malicious commenters.
The agency stated, “Some individuals who have defamed IU by raising unfounded plagiarism allegations around April to May of last year have been identified.” EDAM added, “Among them, there are those presumed to be IU’s middle school classmates.”
They further mentioned, “Despite the ongoing investigation, we have found IU continues to face persistent harassment, and we are taking actions accordingly.”
At that time, IU, who was suffering from plagiarism allegations mainly online, was also reported to the police for violating copyright law.
IU, who faced an online plagiarism accusation, was reported to the authorities for copyright infringement. After the complaint was dismissed, IU initiated civil proceedings, seeking damages from the accuser.
EDAM Entertainment stated, “The first hearing was held at the Seoul Central District Court on July 24, but the defendant failed to appear, and a second hearing is scheduled for December 4.”
However, they refrained from confirming whether the complainant was IU’s former middle school classmate.
In collaboration with law firm Shinwon, they received information on the status of criminal complaints related to IU from 2023 to 2024. The label has identified and filed complaints against a total of over 180 individuals who have met the criteria for crimes such as threats, insults, defamation, and the production of illegal composite materials against IU since last year.
Among these cases, six have resulted in summary fines, and three have received deferred prosecution with conditions for educational completion.
On the work front, IU is set to star opposite Park Bo Gum in the Netflix drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” (working title).