IVE’s Jang Won Young has been awarded partial damages in his appeal trial in a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Sojang.
Although the initial request of 100 million won was granted in the first trial, the court has since halved the compensation amount.
The 9-3rd Civil Appellate Division of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding judges Yoon Jae Nam, Seon Ui Jong and Jeong Deok Su) ruled that YouTuber A, or Sojang, the operator of the deleted YouTube channel “Tal- deoksu-yong -therefore, he will have to pay 50 million won (about $34,805) in damages.
Content creator Sojang faces cyber defamation charges from Jang, along with six other celebrities and influencers.
The charges center around 23 videos uploaded to the platform between October 2021 and June 2023, which allegedly contained false statements and derogatory comments against the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit accused Sojang of making baseless allegations against Jang, including serious allegations of professional sabotage.
An extensive investigation by prosecutors found that the YouTuber earned 250 million KRW ($174,023) in revenue over the course of two years, some of which was allegedly used to purchase real estate.
Jang filed a lawsuit in October 2023 on the grounds that the uploaded videos spread false information and defamed her.
The idol’s agency Starship Entertainment has also sought damages against Sojang, with the first trial still ongoing.
In concurrent criminal trials, the YouTuber was indicted for defaming Jang.
They received a two-year prison sentence with three years of supervised release. The prosecution has since appealed the verdict with the second trial ongoing.
