Overview
- Uijeongbu District Court’s Goyang branch ordered the defendant to pay 100,000 won to each of the five members, totaling 500,000 won.
- The court rejected the defense that avatars are merely fictional and held that avatars function as expressions of identity whose public insults can damage the user’s reputation.
- The case arose from a July 2024 post on X that disparaged the virtual idol group’s appearances.
- The plaintiffs sought 6.5 million won per member, but the judge limited compensation after weighing the post’s tone and circumstances.
- Outlets describe the ruling as an early test of legal protections for performers represented solely by digital avatars in South Korea.