On March 24, IU’s agency released a statement about the legal action they are taking against malicious commenters.

Hello, this is EDAM Entertainment.

We had previously informed you that we would be taking strong legal action without leniency against those who spread malicious comments about our artist IU on various online communities and social media channels. Malicious comments include the spread of false information, sexual harassment, defamation of character, personal attacks, and violations of privacy.

Regarding the first round of complaints we filed through a law firm in October 2019, the attackers were charged with being in contempt of Article 311 of the Criminal Code (a prison sentence of not more than a year or a financial penalty of not more than 2 million won [about $1,600]). Other attackers are awaiting criminal charges now.

The results revealed that these attackers had posted several malicious comments about our artist on multiple occasions.

Our second round of complaints is currently under investigation. Like the first round, we will not be lenient and come to an agreement with the attackers, but instead pursue strong legal action against them. We cannot reveal the details of the investigation before it is complete, so we ask for your understanding. We will release another statement when the results are revealed.

Our agency monitors malicious comments online through our own efforts and also based on the evidence sent to us by fans. We are monitoring all areas related to our artist. When it comes to private or exclusive communities, the evidence sent to us by fans has been extremely helpful. We are monitoring them closely and we recognize their seriousness.

The evidence that both the agency and the fans collected will be used as the basis for further legal action, so we ask for the fans’ cooperation.

We know very well how painful it is to see malicious comments about an artist you love. Our staff check the information that is sent to us with a deep sense of responsibility.

In the future, we will continue to pursue all criminal and civil actions available, including criminal charges, civil suits, and damage suits.

EDAM Entertainment will work hard in order to provide a safe and happy 2020 for IU and IU’s fans. We will continue to listen to what the fans have to say. Please continue to cooperate with us. Thank you.