The sasaeng fans of EXO and NCT under SM Entertainment were fined.
On July 10, SM Entertainment (hereinfollowing referred to as SM) announced that they had filed a lawsuit once morest Sejong Law Firm for impersonating a courier service to steal the personal information of their artists during a Twitter live broadcast in April 2023. SM stated, “We filed a complaint for violations of the Information and Communications Network Utilization Promotion and Information Protection Act, etc.”
SM explained that the defendants in the lawsuit pretended to be a courier during a live broadcast attended by a large number of viewers, stealing the artist’s address and forwarding it to leak the artist’s personal information to the public. The police confirmed, “The four people who participated in the live broadcast have been identified as suspects, and the two people who called the artist directly have been transferred to the prosecution and a prosecution recommendation has been made.”
SM continued, “During the trial, the defendants confessed to all of the crimes and claimed that they committed them out of their fanaticism for the artist in hopes of being treated leniently, but in the end, both defendants were sentenced to a fine of 1 million won to 3 million won.”
“Even now, acts such as calling or visiting artists without permission, obtaining artists’ phone numbers or home addresses, etc. have continued for a long time, and the extent has reached a level that is difficult for individuals to handle,” SM stated. “In order to protect our artists, we will continue to monitor and take legal action once morest the above-mentioned acts and acts that infringe on the rights and honor of artists based on the principle of zero tolerance. The results of several complaints are awaited.”
In a separate statement, SM Entertainment addressed the issue directly, saying:
“Hello everyone, this is SM Entertainment.
We would like to inform you of the outcome of a complaint regarding the theft of personal information regarding one EXO member and three NCT members from our company.
Regarding the behavior of a company that impersonated a delivery driver to steal the personal information of artists during the period, we collected a lot of evidence through fan reports and self-monitoring, designated Sejong as the complainant’s agent, and filed a complaint for violating the law Opinions on promoting the use of information and communication networks and information protection, etc.
The defendants in the above cases were held criminally responsible by the police at the time for impersonating delivery drivers in live broadcasts attended by a large number of viewers, stealing the addresses of artists and leaking their personal information to the public through live broadcasts. The report said that four people who participated in the live broadcast were identified as suspects, and the two who called the artists directly were sent to the procuratorate and recommended for prosecution.
Until the recent trial, the defendants admitted all the crimes and claimed that they committed these crimes out of their fanaticism for the artist, hoping to be lenient, but in the end, both defendants were sentenced to a fine of 3 million won. We are very grateful to the fans for their attention and valuable reports, which helped us take legal action once morest these illegal acts once morest the artists.
To this day, acts such as calling or visiting the artist’s phone number or home address without permission have continued for a long time, and the artist complains of pain and endures it because he is a celebrity, but the degree of pain is serious. It has reached a level that is difficult to handle, and complains of severe mental pain. We reiterate once more that these acts are not acts of expressing interest in the artist, but serious criminal acts that cause fear and psychological harm to the artist.
Furthermore, in order to protect our artists, we will take zero-tolerance continuous monitoring and legal action once morest the above-mentioned behaviors and any infringement of our artists’ rights and honors, and are awaiting the results of multiple lawsuits. Please immediately stop any behavior that infringes on the privacy of artists, and be careful not to get involved in unpleasant things.
Thanks”
Reporter Park Se-yeon [email protected]
SM Entertainment Takes Action Against Sasaeng Fans: Two Fined for Impersonating Couriers
SM Entertainment has successfully taken legal action once morest sasaeng fans who engaged in illegal activities to obtain the personal information of EXO and NCT members. The company filed a lawsuit once morest a law firm for impersonating a courier to steal the artists’ addresses during a live broadcast in April 2023.
SM Entertainment’s Statement
In a statement released on July 10th, SM Entertainment outlined the details of the case, stating that the “defendant in the above case pretended to be a courier during a live broadcast attended by a large number of viewers, stole the artist’s address, and forwarded the address to leak the artist’s personal information to the public.”
The police investigated the matter and identified four individuals involved in the live broadcast as suspects. Two individuals who directly contacted the artists were transferred to the prosecution and received a recommendation for prosecution.
Consequences for the Defendants
During the trial, the defendants confessed to their actions. While they claimed their actions stemmed from “fanaticism” for the artists, hoping for leniency, they were ultimately sentenced to fines ranging from 1 to 3 million won.
SM Entertainment’s Zero-Tolerance Policy
SM Entertainment emphasized their commitment to protecting their artists from sasaeng activity. The company stated that they will continue to monitor and take legal action once morest any behavior that infringes on the artists’ rights and honors, adopting a “zero-tolerance” policy.
Addressing the Issue of Sasaeng Activity
SM Entertainment acknowledges that sasaeng activities, such as unauthorized calls, visits, and attempts to obtain personal information, are ongoing issues that create significant distress for the artists. The company highlights the severity of these actions, emphasizing that they are not expressions of fan interest but serious criminal acts that cause psychological harm.
Call for Fan Cooperation
SM Entertainment urges fans to cooperate in combating sasaeng activity. They request that fans refrain from any behavior that violates the artists’ privacy and to promptly report any suspicious activity.
Keywords:
* Sasaeng fans
* SM Entertainment
* EXO
* NCT
* Personal information theft
* Impersonation
* Lawsuit
* Zero-tolerance policy
* Fan cooperation
* K-pop
* Idols
* Privacy violation
* Criminal activity
* Legal action
