Prosecution Seeks 4-Month Prison Sentence for IU's Online Harasser

The prosecution has requested a four-month prison sentence for a woman in her 30s who posted derogatory comments about singer and actress IU (아이유). On November 26, during a sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Kyung-sun, the prosecution made its case against the accused, identified as A.

According to the prosecution, A is charged with writing four insulting comments in April 2022 that belittled IU's clothing, singing ability, and statements. During the hearing, A claimed, "I was merely expressing personal preferences," and added, "I suffer from a mental illness that affects my writing skills. I hope for leniency."

A's lawyer argued that the comments were based on factual opinions, stating, "While there may be unpleasant or insulting expressions, they do not constitute defamation."

Earlier, on November 11, IU's agency, EDAM Entertainment (이담엔터테인먼트), released an official statement regarding the status of legal actions taken against online harassment. The agency reported that it has filed lawsuits against over 180 individuals for defamation in the past two years, resulting in six fines, three conditional non-prosecution rulings from the Ministry of Education, and one conditional non-prosecution ruling with probation.

Additionally, the agency noted that individuals who made sexual harassment and death threats against IU have received fines but are currently awaiting the results of formal trials after appealing.

EDAM Entertainment emphasized, "We will not reach any agreements or show leniency towards online harassers," and reiterated their commitment to taking strong action against those who post malicious comments, urging them to cease their illegal activities on online platforms.

Meanwhile, IU recently held her concert, '2024 IU HERE WORLD TOUR CONCERT ENCORE: THE WINNING,' at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in September. She is set to appear in the upcoming Netflix series '폭싹 속았수다' (Bokssak Sogassuda) in the first half of 2025, where she will play the character Aesoon.