According to court documents obtained by Dispatch, IU filed an application July 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California under 28 USC § 1782, a legal provision that allows parties involved in foreign litigation to obtain evidence located in the United States.
The request seeks to obtain information from Meta, Threads’ parent company, for use in an ongoing civil defamation lawsuit in South Korea. The request specifically targets a Threads account identified as “@7h*”**, referred to in court documents as Person A. IU’s legal team alleges that the account made 52 false and defamatory posts between March and October 2025, causing significant damage to the singer’s reputation.
Because the identity of the account holder remains unknown, IU’s lawyers argue that it is difficult to pursue legal proceedings in South Korea. They have therefore asked the US court to order Meta to disclose identifying information associated with the account, including:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone number
- E-mail address
- IP access record
According to court filings, the posts fall into six main categories of alleged false claims:
- Accusations of plagiarism
- False claims about China
- Misrepresentations about IU’s popularity and achievements abroad
- Accusations of exploitation of deceased celebrities for publicity
- Accusations of media manipulation and control of public opinion
- Posts linking IU’s songs to national tragedies
IU’s legal representatives argue that these posts repeatedly spread misinformation without any factual basis. One category involves repeated allegations that IU plagiarized another artist’s music. His legal team noted that similar statements had already been found defamatory in a previous South Korean court case, which resulted in a damages award of 30 million won (about $22,000) in 2024.
The document also accuses the account of repeatedly spreading false claims regarding IU’s connections to China. Examples cited include allegations that:
- IU is Chinese or acting on behalf of Chinese interests.
- The organizations receiving his donations are Chinese companies.
- A cosmetics brand associated with her is Chinese.
- He is an ethnic Chinese person who speaks Cantonese fluently.
IU representatives say these claims are completely false. The document also claims that the account has repeatedly stated that IU has virtually no international popularity and that her drama When life gives you tangerines failed abroad. IU’s legal team disputes these claims, citing international streaming data and global performance metrics as evidence of its success overseas.
According to the document, the account also repeatedly shared videos referencing the deceased Sulli, Jonghyun and Goo Hara. The videos allegedly accused an unnamed singer, identified by IU’s legal team as referring to IU, of using the deaths of deceased celebrities for publicity. The document describes these allegations as false and defamatory.
IU’s legal representatives also cited posts accusing the singer of controlling media coverage and manipulating public opinion. One example included in the documentation reportedly compared IU’s influence over the media to that of the Chinese Communist Party and said that not even politicians could exercise such control.
The document also claims that the account linked IU’s songs to major national tragedies without evidence. Among the examples cited were claims that:
- “Strawberry Moon” symbolized the crush of Itaewon audiences.
- “Ah Puh” mocked the Sewol ferry disaster.
IU’s legal team claims that these allegations were fabricated and spread without factual verification.
The IU has consistently pursued legal action against individuals accused of posting harmful comments online. In February, his agency announced that criminal complaints and civil suits had been filed against a total of 96 people. In May, one defendant reportedly received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, following an appeal in a related case.
The latest filing in the United States represents another effort by IU’s legal team to identify anonymous online users and pursue accountability through the courts.
Sources: Nate News
