Starship Entertainment, the agency behind K-pop group IVE and Wonyoung, has won part of its lawsuit against the operator of the YouTube channel Sojang.
On June 4th, the Seoul Central District Court ordered the channel’s operator to pay 50 million won ($36,000) in damages to Starship. The court also ruled that interest must be paid—5% annually from August 12th, 2023, to June 4th, 2025, and 12% annually until the full amount is paid.
The YouTuber is accused of spreading malicious rumors about IVE’s Jang Wonyoung on her YouTube channel between April 2021 and June 2023. In response, Starship filed a lawsuit in November 2022 seeking 100 million won ($72,000 USD) in damages.
Separately, Jang Wonyoung also filed her own lawsuit against the operator in October 2023, claiming she posted defamatory content about her on the channel. That case also ended in a partial victory. In January, the appeals court ordered her to pay her 50 million won. The original ruling had awarded her the full 100 million won, but the amount was reduced on appeal. Neither side appealed the second ruling, so the decision is now final.
YouTuber Sojang is also facing criminal charges for uploading defamatory videos about Jang Wonyoung and other celebrities. In January, she was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and is currently undergoing an appeal.
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