YG Entertainment head warns of strong action against cyber violence

By Park Sae-jin Posted : February 5, 2018, 12:35 Updated : February 13, 2018, 16:05

[Yang Hyun-suk's Instagram]


SEOUL, Feb. 05 (Aju News) -- Yang Hyun-suk, the vanguard of South Korea's K-pop music industry, reacted furiously to "chronic" cyberbullying against celebrities under his label, calling for help from fans to collect evidence for strong legal action.

The 48-year-old head of YG Entertainment, home to famous artists such as BIGBANG, BLACK PINK, IKON and WINNER, said in an Instagram post on Monday that cyber violence has gone too far. Used hashtags, Yang urged fans to collect evidence for YG's legal team.

There have been coordinated cyber attacks on YG artists, leaving tons of malicious comments and rumors on online communities and news portals. Yang said he had refrained from taking action just to avoid trouble. 

Different forms of cyberbullying have been a serious problem in South Korea's entertainment industry for many years. Popular celebrities often become the target of the cyber violence and sometimes vow to take legal actions but normally they do not because such actions bring negative image onto them.

In December last year, Jonghyun, a member of South Korea's popular K-pop band SHINee, drove the South Korean society into a shock by committing suicide. He suffered from depression and many experts suspect that cyberbullying played a role in his tragic suicide.
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