SEVENTEEN’s Agency Takes Legal Action Against Malicious Posts

On November 2, SEVENTEEN’s agency PLEDIS Entertainment released an official statement regarding updates on legal action against violations of artist rights.

Hello.
This is PLEDIS Entertainment.

We maintain a firm policy of taking strong legal action against all forms of conduct that infringe upon the rights and interests of SEVENTEEN. We would like to provide an update on the matters we have been closely monitoring recently, as well as outline our plans for further action.

1. Strong Response to Malicious Criticism and Defamatory Conduct

We have recently identified a growing number of malicious posts targeting our artists across social media platforms and online communities, including personal attacks, the dissemination of false information, and defamatory content. In particular, we are closely monitoring acts that distort facts concerning individual artists and their military service, as well as the malicious editing of videos and images to demean and ridicule our artists.

We take these actions extremely seriously, as they constitute serious violations of our artists’ dignity and reputation, and are responding accordingly. In addition to conducting comprehensive monitoring and collecting evidence of relevant posts and malicious comments, we will continue to take strong measures, including civil and criminal legal action, in cases where violations of the law are identified.

In particular, we are collecting evidence through various means against accounts that create or distribute content intended to defame our artists through platforms such as X and Instagram, while also exploring possible legal measures. Please be advised that even if posts or accounts are deleted, legal action may still be taken based on evidence already secured through our real-time monitoring efforts.

Malicious mockery and criticism directed at members who are currently fulfilling their mandatory military service not only damage the artists’ reputations but also constitute serious conduct that may adversely affect their ability to carry out their military duties in a stable environment. To protect the rights and interests of our artists, we will take firm action against malicious criticism and defamation in accordance with our zero-tolerance policy, without extending any leniency or entering into settlements. This will apply not only to the individuals who initially create and publish such content but also to those who maliciously distribute it.

2. Platform-Specific Evidence Collection and Reporting Guidelines

We continuously collect malicious posts from major online communities and social media platforms through our own real-time monitoring system. In addition, the valuable reports submitted by fans through the “HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Website (protect.hybecorp.com)” have been of great help in our legal efforts to protect our artists.

To facilitate faster and more accurate legal reviews of malicious posts, we recommend submitting evidence in the form of full-screen captures of PC screens or PDF files (saved as PDFs using the print function) that clearly show all of the following information: the URL, the poster’s username, the content of the post, and the date and time the post was published and captured. Please also refer to the platform-specific guidelines below.

Online Communities [Naver, Daum (including cafes such as Women’s Generation and Jjukbbang), Nate, DC Inside, Instiz, FMKorea, TheQoo, etc.]

• For posts, please submit screenshots that clearly show the post title, body, author’s nickname or ID, date and time of publication, name of the message board, and the post’s unique URL
• For malicious comments, please submit screenshots that clearly show the comment content, commenter information, date and time of publication, and the URL of the original post

X (formerly Twitter)

• Please submit screenshots that clearly show the post content, account name, unique account ID (@username), date and time of publication, and the post’s unique URL
• If the post contains images or videos, please also submit the relevant image or video files

Instagram

• Please submit screenshots that clearly show the content of the relevant posts, comments, or Stories, along with the account name (@username), date and time of publication, and unique URL
• If the content of a video, such as a Reel, is problematic, please also submit the relevant video file or a screen recording
• For content that becomes inaccessible after a certain period of time, such as Stories, please submit screenshots or screen recordings captured while the content was still available

We sincerely thank all fans who continue to show SEVENTEEN their unwavering love and support. Moving forward, we will continue to make the protection of our artists’ reputations and rights and interests our top priority and take active measures to safeguard our artists.