Hello. This is BELIFT LAB. BELIFT LAB is continuously taking legal action to protect the rights and interests of its artist ILLIT, based on materials collected through fan reports and our own monitoring system. We would like to inform you of the current progress of ongoing key matters as follows. First, as previously announced, we separately filed a criminal complaint against an individual prior to our regular filing due to the severity of the matter, as the individual repeatedly and continuously engaged in unacceptable levels of sexual insults and personal attacks against the artists over several months. As a result, the individual was found guilty of violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (distribution of obscene material) and insult, and a fine of 3 million won has been finalized. We will continue to do our utmost to ensure that appropriate legal responsibility is imposed on malicious actors in other ongoing cases as well. In addition, we are continuing strong legal action against individuals who abuse deepfake technology to maliciously synthesize and edit the artists’ images and produce and distribute illegal obscene synthetic materials. Recently, following a police investigation, the suspect has been identified and indicted and is currently on trial. Even malicious actors who attempt to evade investigation by using overseas platforms such as Telegram or closed channels that guarantee anonymity are being tracked and apprehended through cooperative investigations by the police and relevant authorities. In particular, we have recently detected attempts to plot physical harm targeting the artists through secret channels such as Telegram. We thank fans who have actively reported related information, and we prioritize the protection of our artists and are taking all possible measures, including requesting cooperation from Telegram and relevant domestic authorities. Any terror-related or harm-related plotting against the artists constitutes a serious criminal act subject to severe punishment under current law. We strongly warn that we will take strict civil and criminal legal action against any illegal activity that threatens our artists’ safety. Meanwhile, we would like to inform you that we filed a lawsuit against a YouTuber who repeatedly and continuously produced false rumors about the artists for profit, and the court recognized liability for damages. The court determined that, in light of the content of the videos produced by the YouTuber, there was clear intent to defame the artists, and that unverified false information was posted, thereby damaging the reputation and credibility of both the company and the artists and interfering with business operations. The court recognized a total of 15 million won in damages in favor of the plaintiffs, including the company. Malicious content, produced and distributed by so-called “cyber wrecker” creators that defames the artists or disseminates false information, spreads rapidly through various online communities and social media, causing irreparable harm to the artists. We will firmly continue to take all available civil and criminal legal action not only against such malicious content creators, but also against those who reproduce such content or, by endorsing malicious rumors, post defamatory posts and comments targeting the artists. We are continuously taking legal action against malicious posts and comments that infringe upon the artists’ rights and interests, including insult, defamation, and sexual harassment, through fan reports and our real-time monitoring system. Our monitoring covers both domestic and international platforms, including portal sites such as Naver, Daum (including online cafes such as Jjukbbang, Women’s Generation, Souldresser, etc.), and Nate (including Nate Pann), major online communities (including DC Inside’s female celebrity gallery, Girls Planet 999 gallery, fangall mini gallery, compliment mini gallery, TheQoo, Instiz, Ilgan Best, Dimitory, MLB Park, FMKorea, and Weverse), social media platforms (X, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, etc.), and music streaming sites (Melon, Bugs, Genie Music, etc.). We sincerely appreciate the valuable reports sent by fans, which play a major role in protecting the artists’ rights and interests. The materials you provide are carefully reviewed and actively used for legal action. If you encounter any illegal activity or infringement of rights related to our artists, please report it through the “HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Website (protect.hybecorp.com).” We deeply thank GLLIT for their unwavering love and support for ILLIT. BELIFT LAB will continue to place the protection of our artists’ rights as our highest priority and do the utmost to ensure that our artists can carry out their activities in a healthy environment. Thank you.
