On June 5, News1 reported that the criminal division of the Court of the Central District of Seoul, chaired by judge Lim Jeong-Bin, fined the woman, identified by the surname Kim, 3 million KRW (about $ 2,200 USD) for defamation.
Kim had been indicted for leaving an explicit and defamatory comment on a portal site in February 2024. The comment in question aimed at the IU and included the provocative charge, “Did you run the judge?”
Despite Kim’s statements in court according to which his comments were not directed to any specific individual and did not damage the perception of the audience of the IIf, the judge firmly rejected his defense. “The accused clearly targeted the victim with the comment”, The judge said. “The statement is considered harmful to the victim’s social evaluation and therefore constitutes defamation”.
What shocked many was the revelation of the court that Kim has a story of similar behaviors. Previously he received a fine of 3 million KRW in December 2024 for four harmful comments that criticize the vocal appearance and skills of the I. In this case, he had begged clemency, citing a mental illness and claiming that he influenced his ability to express himself correctly.
However, the Court stressed that the most recent crime occurred before the accusations were presented for its previous defamation case. Although Kim has not been subjected to criminal sanctions as well as fines, the Court underlined his lack of remorse and absence of apologies to the EIG.
While cyberbullying continues to afflict public characters, this case underlines the serious consequences for repeated crimes. Fans applauded the firm position of the court in defending artists as Iu from the ongoing online harassment.
