IU fights false online claims in US court

Korean singer and actor IU / Courtesy of EDAM Entertainment

Korean singer and actor IU has asked a U.S. federal court to authorize the release of identifying information from Meta in a move seen as an intention to take strong action against malicious posts and the spread of false information online.

IU's agency, EDAM Entertainment, said Monday that it filed a discovery application on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to identify a person behind a Threads account. The agency said it needs the information for an ongoing defamation lawsuit in Korea.

The agency directly targeted an unidentified Threads user, alleging the person published 52 posts between March and October last year containing false claims.

The posts included plagiarism allegations and other claims the agency described as false. According to the application, the posts made false assertions related to China, misrepresented IU's overseas achievements and included allegations that she manipulated public opinion and exploited a deceased person for publicity, as well as content linking national disasters to song lyrics.

Korean singer and actor IU / Courtesy of EDAM Entertainment

Saying the Korean lawsuit is stalled without the user's identity, the agency asked the court to authorize the release of subscriber information from Meta, including the user's name, address, telephone number, email address and IP addresses used to access the account.

The agency also said it filed criminal complaints and civil lawsuits against 96 people last year. It listed outcomes in 12 cases, including Monetary Penalties in seven cases, one Monetary Penalty accompanied by an order to complete a sexual violence treatment program, three suspended indictments requiring educational courses, and one suspended sentence.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.