Actress Shin Se-kyung‘s agency has announced that they have arrested a malicious commenter.

On the 20th, The Present Company stated in a statement, “The perpetrator who recently committed continuous cyberbullying of actress Shin Se-kyung has been arrested through legal procedures.” They added, “For years, the perpetrator has continuously made threats, malicious slander, spread false facts, and insulting remarks on various online platforms, targeting not only the actress, but also her fans, family, and those around her. This act caused serious psychological distress to the parties involved, and legal punishment procedures are currently in progress against the perpetrator,” they said.

In order to resolve the case, the agency operated a dedicated team with the law firm Ascendant Yulbon for several months to collect evidence and mobilize all possible legal means, and did not forget to express their gratitude, saying, “The valuable tips from fans were a great help.”

They continued, “We will continue to pursue all legal means to protect the rights and interests of our artists and employees, and we make it clear that we will respond strongly and resolutely without exception if similar cases arise,” and concluded, “Cyberbullying that exploits anonymity beyond freedom of expression is emerging as a serious social problem. We will continue to make efforts to eradicate this, and we hope that this arrest will contribute to establishing a responsible, healthy communication culture.”

In addition, Ascendant Yulbon Law Firm’s attorney Kim Ji-ae stated, “Since the investigation is currently in progress, we are watching the developments. We plan to do our best until the end, together with the agency, to prevent recurrence and protect the victims, and we hope that this incident will make it widely known that malicious comments online can be tracked and that legal action will be taken.”

The Present Company does not regard malicious comments as freedom of expression or as a fate that must be endured because they are public figures, but rather takes a strong stance to protect its artists. In order to protect the rights and interests of our artists, we are resolutely standing up to indiscriminate and blatant cyberbullying and sparing no support. These efforts are laying the foundation for artists suffering from various malicious comments and cyberattacks to work more healthily, and are expected to have a positive effect on the management industry as a whole.

Meanwhile, actress Shin Se-kyung is gearing up for a new leap forward after signing an exclusive contract with The Present Company in July of this year, and is scheduled to make a comeback on the screen with her next film, ‘Humint’.


● Below is the full text of our agency’s official position

This is The Present Company.

We would like to inform you that the perpetrator who continuously cyberbullied actress Shin Se-kyung has been arrested through legal procedures.

For several years, the perpetrator has continuously made threats, malicious slander, spread false information, and insulting remarks against not only the actress but also her fans, family, and those around her on various online platforms. This act has caused serious psychological distress to the parties involved, and legal punishment procedures are currently underway for the perpetrator.

To resolve this incident, The Present Company has operated a dedicated team with the law firm Ascendant Yulbon for several months to collect evidence and mobilize all possible legal means. In particular, the valuable tips from fans have been of great help.

We will continue to pursue all legal means to protect the rights and interests of our artists and employees, and we clearly state that we will respond strongly and resolutely without exception if similar cases arise.

Cyberbullying that abuses anonymity beyond freedom of expression is emerging as a serious social problem. We will continue to work hard to eradicate this, and we hope that this arrest will contribute to establishing a responsible and healthy communication culture.

Once again, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to our fans for their reports and support, and The Present Company promises to continue to do its best to protect the activities and rights of its artists.

Thank you.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com Reporter yyynnn@donga.com