Was it dark under the lamp, or was it being struck on the instep by an axe that one trusted?

The agency Subraim announced on the 3rd that it has formed a dedicated team to respond to malicious slander, the spread of false information, and defamation crimes against its actress Seo Yea-ji, and that it filed the first complaint against the malicious commenters with the Gangnam Police Station last January.

According to the agency, a former staff member among those recently accused of spreading false information about Seo Yea-ji has been referred to the prosecution for defamation. Some whose identities have been confirmed are expected to be referred to the prosecution soon, and regarding the other defendants, the agency stated, "We will pursue this until severe penalties can be imposed."

Seo Yea-ji has been struggling with rumors regarding actor Kim Soo-hyun until recently. While continuing to take a strong stance by filing the first complaint against the malicious commenters, it was shocking to confirm that a staff member who worked with her was the one spreading false information.

However, this is not just the case for Seo Yea-ji. Many celebrities have suffered from malicious slander and the spread of false information, often finding that acquaintances or staff members were the perpetrators in the past.

Broadcaster Park Soo-hong suffered due to the acquaintance of his sister-in-law. Park Soo-hong's wife, Kim Da-ye, revealed last year, "The malicious commenter's recent status. Do you remember the malicious commenter who deliberately spread false information in every article about previous victims? After filing the complaint, that individual was ultimately identified as a close friend of my sister-in-law, who is a defendant in embezzlement cases, and the friend was fined 4 million won for defamation relating to false information."

The judgment document released also included details indicating that A, a friend of Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law, was fined 6 million won for charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, as well as defamation and insult. Kim Da-ye explained, "The sister-in-law's friend contested this, which led to the trial, and ultimately, the fine amount increased from 4 million won to 6 million won."

Former professional gamer turned broadcaster Hong Jin-ho appeared on a radio program and said, "During my player days, I received a lot of malicious comments. At the height of my gaming career, I had accommodation in a building in Gangnam. One day, after losing a tournament, I was looking at the comments on a gaming community site and saw someone insulting me in an especially odd way. I couldn't stand it anymore and looked for that person. But it turned out that the malicious commenter was on the same team as me. Since we were professional players, if I went out, someone else wouldn’t get a chance. I had to perform poorly for others to have opportunities, so there were people who would sow discord. I can accept criticism that has a reason, but unreasonable criticism is difficult to accept. I understand the malicious comments, but I can't empathize with them."

The malicious commenter who harassed comedian Jang Dong-min turned out to be a military junior. He said on a variety show, "I'm usually the type of person who doesn't care about comments, so during my break, I had no intention of looking up articles about myself. However, my manager's words saying 'don't look at the articles' made me curious, so I started looking them up and found many negative reactions. Most of them said something like 'He didn’t go to the military, so he's weak; he collapses at the slightest pain.' I served in the frontline. I was frustrated that I couldn't clarify, but someone commented, 'Jang Dong-min went to the military. He was my senior.' So I saw that comment, and it said, 'He was my senior. He was trash.' So I promptly closed the comments section."

Monica shocked everyone by revealing that the perpetrator of the malicious comments directed at her was a dancer. She said on a variety show, "There is someone I’m targeting as well. There’s a person who keeps echoing the same words. But it's clear that this person is a dancer. They are using words that only a dancer would know. I've captured the IP. Once I locate this person, I will definitely have a meal with them. It would be even better if they turn out to be someone I know."

The malicious commenter targeting IU is presumed to be an alumnus of her middle school, causing shock. According to IU's agency, as of last year, some identities among those who unfoundedly raised plagiarism allegations against IU around April to May 2023 have been identified, including individuals presumed to be her middle school classmates.

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