Singer BoA has taken a strong legal response card against malicious graffiti terrorism. She has formally submitted a complaint and stated that she will respond strongly without leniency to false facts and malicious attacks.
Recently, graffiti terror containing malicious content directed at BoA was detected in the Gangnam area of Seoul. Following public transportation stops and billboards in Gangnam Station, Sinnonhyeon Station, and Yeoksam-daero, graffiti terror continued in the Gwangjin and Gangdong districts. The graffiti included content insulting BoA and curse words, leading fans to step up and erase it themselves.
As the situation became serious, SM Entertainment took action to protect the artist. On the afternoon of the 11th, SM announced its official position and stated that it would formally submit a complaint that day. They will respond immediately to acts that damage the artist's honor.
SM stated, "We confirmed through fans' reports and our own monitoring that graffiti insulting BoA was found in various locations in Seoul. After checking the site near Gangnam Station, we reported it, and an investigation is underway at the relevant police station. Additionally, we will formally submit a complaint today."
It emphasized, "Posting false facts that damage the personality and honor of the affiliated artist, and insulting the artist for the purpose of public defamation, constitutes a clear criminal act. We will respond firmly and without leniency to these criminal acts, following our principles."
Furthermore, SM stated, "We are continuously monitoring the spread of false information, malicious personal attacks, and insults against BoA on various social media, video-sharing platforms, and online communities. We are intermittently proceeding with legal complaints regarding matters that are clearly criminal acts to protect our affiliated artist."
BoA has previously expressed pain from malicious comments multiple times. Last year, she appeared on the comprehensive cable channel Channel A's "Open Interview" and stated, "Celebrities are also people. It seems many people think of celebrities as objects to vent their anger. Malicious comments are always bad." At that time, after suffering from malicious comments while playing the villain character Oh Yu-ra in the drama "Marry My Husband", she publicly retaliated. BoA even expressed extreme mental distress to the point of mentioning 'retirement.'
In response, SM stated at that time that they were conducting large-scale lawsuits both domestically and internationally regarding the spread of false information, malicious personal attacks, insults, and defamation related to BoA. SM said, "We have already collected sufficient materials on many posts and are in the process of investigating and suing specific cases such as cyber slander. We plan to hold legal responsibility to the end through continuous information collection."
Particularly, they noted, "The acts mentioned above have reached a level that is too severe to bear as a person, causing the artist to suffer significant mental pain and endure a very difficult time," clearly stating their intention to punish malicious posts without leniency or settlement.
Despite BoA having expressed suffering from indiscriminate defamation and insults multiple times and communicating her legal response plans, the occurrence of graffiti terrorism offline this time has raised voices for severe punishment to prevent recurrence.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]