IU Seeks U.S. Court Order to Identify Malicious Commenter: Allegations Include Mocking National Tragedies and Exploiting Deceased Peers

Singer and actor IU (real name Lee Ji-eun) has initiated legal proceedings in a U.S. court to identify the author of malicious online posts, revealing that the content included disturbing claims mocking national tragedies and exploiting the deceased.

According to reports from The Biz and Dispatch on July 20, IU filed an application for discovery (28 U.S.C. §1782) against Meta at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on July 15 (local time). The procedure is intended to identify the operator of a Threads account for an ongoing defamation lawsuit in South Korea.

IU’s legal representatives claim that the account repeatedly posted at least 52 false statements between March and October of last year, causing defamation. It is reported that the request to the U.S. court seeks minimal information necessary to identify the user, including the account holder's name, email address, phone number, physical address, and recent login IP records.

According to the application submitted to the court, the malicious posts were categorized into six types: plagiarism allegations, false claims regarding ties to China, distortion of overseas achievements, allegations of exploiting the deceased for marketing, claims of media control and public opinion manipulation, and false assertions linking her songs to national tragedies.

The severity of the malicious posts was particularly alarming. The author reportedly repeatedly claimed that the Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," which had a production budget of tens of billions of won, was a failure overseas. The posts also allegedly included conspiracy theories claiming that IU’s side controls the media and manipulates public opinion online.

Furthermore, the user reportedly spread false claims that IU exploited the deaths of her late colleagues, such as Sulli, Jonghyun, and Goo Hara, for promotional purposes. It was also reported that the user posted malicious content claiming that IU’s songs "Ah puh" and "Strawberry Moon" contained meanings mocking the Sewol ferry disaster and the Itaewon tragedy, respectively.

In addition, the account allegedly repeatedly posted false information characterizing IU as a Chinese national or as being linked to Chinese capital, and claiming that she has "virtually no popularity overseas."

In the application, IU’s side argued that the account holder is "highly likely to be a South Korean resident," citing the fact that the account only uses the Korean language and focuses heavily on domestic issues. They also emphasized that defamation based on false facts is not protected under freedom of expression.

If the U.S. court grants the discovery application, Meta will review whether to submit the relevant user information. Once the identity is confirmed, legal proceedings in South Korea, both civil and criminal, are expected to accelerate.

IU has consistently taken a firm stance against malicious commenters. In February, she announced that she was pursuing criminal complaints and civil lawsuits against 96 individuals. In May, a malicious commenter who stalked the artist while spreading claims that she was a Chinese spy was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for one year, in an appellate court.

Photo: Baek Seung-chul

(Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon, SBS Entertainment News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.