Starship Entertainment Moves Forward With Lawsuit Against Youtuber Sojang Over Defamation Issues

Starship Entertainment moved forward with its defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Sojang after the Seoul Central District Court's 8-1 Civil Division referred the agency's damages claim to mediation on August 6.

The court's mediation referral, which seeks a voluntary agreement before trial, nevertheless carries the same legal effect as a finalized judgment. A Starship Entertainment representative emphasized that the agency is "not seeking a monetary settlement" but demands "rightful punishment" for the act of defaming its artists, adding that mediation is unlikely to yield an agreement.

The dispute originated in November 2022, when Starship Entertainment filed a civil suit against Park Sojang (known online as Sojang), seeking $72,000 in compensation for repeated false allegations. On June 4, the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in Starship's favor, awarding $36,000, half of the original claim, after partly accepting Park's defense. The channel operator lodged an appeal against that ruling on June 18, contesting the court's findings.

Starship Entertainment alleges that Park created at least 23 videos between October 2021 and June 2023 filled with unverified and malicious rumors targeting seven of the agency's artists, including IVE's Jang Won-young. These videos, which amassed significant viewership, are accused of harming the idols' reputations and disrupting the agency's business operations.

Park's legal troubles extend beyond this civil suit. In January, the Incheon District Court sentenced the YouTuber to two years in prison with a three-year probationary period, a $151,000 fine, and 120 hours of community service after finding her guilty of defaming multiple celebrities. She remains embroiled in simultaneous civil and criminal lawsuits filed by BTS members V and Jungkook, as well as singer Kang Daniel. A mediation hearing in the BTS case on July 22 failed to produce a settlement.

With mediation deemed improbable by Starship Entertainment, the lawsuit is set to return to court for a full trial if no agreement is reached. No hearing date for the trial has been announced. The agency's firm stance illustrates a broader shift in the K-pop industry toward aggressive legal measures to deter harmful online rumors and protect artists' reputations.