The aespa side is not tolerating malicious posts such as defamation and sexual harassment.
The agency of aespa, SM Entertainment, announced on the official social media on the 5th that, "We have collected evidence of malicious posts and comments about aespa through reports from fans and our own monitoring, and based on this, we have submitted a complaint for allegations of insults, defamation, and editing/redistributing false videos."
The agency noted, "Many of the accused have been identified and the investigation is ongoing, with some cases resulting in a sentence of three years in prison with a five-year probation and fines." They also stated, "We have collected a significant amount of evidence and are preparing legal measures. We urge you not to be indirectly or directly involved in illegal activities like these."
Meanwhile, aespa member Karina was embroiled in an issue after posting a photo wearing a jumper with the red number '2' printed on it on social media last month. Supporters of the People Power Party reacted strongly because they believed Karina was showing her political stance ahead of the elections on June 3. Although Karina and the agency cautioned against over-interpretation, the issue spread uncontrollably.
Here is the full statement from the aespa side.
Hello, this is SM Entertainment.
We would like to provide an update on the legal actions regarding malicious posts and comments, deepfakes, and slander, abuse, and sexual harassment against our artist aespa.
We have collected evidence of malicious posts and comments about aespa through reports from fans and our own monitoring, and based on this, we have submitted a complaint for allegations of insults, defamation, and editing/redistributing false videos.
We inform you that many of the accused have been identified and the investigation is ongoing, with some cases resulting in a sentence of three years in prison with a five-year probation and fines.
We have collected a significant amount of evidence against acts such as posting false information and defamation, sexual harassment, insults, mockery, and malicious posts and comments targeting aespa in personal social media accounts and various online communities, as well as disseminating videos and images containing fake news and rumors, and we are preparing for legal action.
We urge you not to be indirectly or directly involved in illegal activities like these.
Thank you.
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