Should fans risk legal backlash when exposing verified facts about idols/agencies/companies? How do we balance protecting individuals’ reputations and enabling transparency and accountability in the K-pop industry?
From 11 November 2025’s Korea JoongAng Daily:
A victim of school bullying fined for defamation against the bullies; a mother desperately asking for child support from her ex-husband refusing to pay, also fined for defamation — Korea’s long-debated defamation law, which punishes not only those who spread falsehoods but also the truth, may finally be scrapped after a plethora of incidents involving victims penalized after speaking out for the #MeToo movement, posting information about a former spouse who refuses to pay child support and more.
The decades-old debate was reignited on Tuesday afternoon after President Lee Jae Myung called for a review of the criminal offense of factual defamation — a controversial statute long criticized for limiting free speech but defended as necessary to protect privacy
… Public sentiment appears to favor the amendment. Earlier this year, a petition calling for the clause’s repeal surpassed 50,000 signatures, the threshold for formal consideration by the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Support for repeal has grown amid public outcry over cases in which sexual assault or school bullying victims were sued by their perpetrators and handed penalties for speaking out. Campaigns like #MeToo and Bad Fathers, which names parents who fail to pay child support, have brought attention to the collateral damage of the law.
submitted by /u/freeblackfish
[link] [comments]
