A South Korean court has ruled that the operator of the YouTube channel Sojang must pay 76 million won (about $53,000 USD) in damages for posting false videos about BTS members V and Jungkook.
Judge Lee Kwan Hyung of the Seoul Western District Court ordered YouTuber Park to pay 51 million KRW to BigHit Music, 10 million KRW to V, and 15 million KRW to Jungkook on February 14th.
V, Jungkook and BigHit Music sued Park in March last year, seeking around 90 million KRW in damages. They claimed Park had spread false videos that damaged their reputations and interfered with BigHit’s business. The agency also accused Park of using their copyrighted materials without permission.
Park ran the now-deleted Sojang channel, which posted malicious rumors about BTS and other celebrities. They have faced multiple lawsuits and criminal trials for defamation.
Between October 2021 and June 2023, Park uploaded 23 defamatory videos targeting seven public figures, including IVE’s Jang Wonyoung. As a result, they received a two-year prison sentence with a three-year probation period.
In a separate lawsuit, Jang Wonyoung initially won 100 million KRW in damages from Park, but the amount was later reduced to 50 million KRW on appeal.
Park was also fined 10 million KRW for defaming singer Kang Daniel by posting false videos. In a civil lawsuit, the court ruled that Park must pay Kang Daniel 30 million KRW in damages.
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