Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Following Hyunjoo’s statement that confirmed the allegations of bullying in APRIL, members Chaewon and Yena responded personally on Instagram. Now DSP Media has responded in a statement and has taken the same tilt as the members, effectively going on the offensive against Hyunjoo and victimizing themselves.
“Hello. This is DSP Media. This is the agency’s statement regarding Lee Hyunjoo’s social media post today. The content written in the post is a one-sided, distorted assertion that is far from the objective truth. Five years after her departure from APRIL, due to the irresponsible behavior shown by Lee Hyunjoo and her acquaintances against the APRIL members and the agency she had worked through long hardships with, the members and the company have already suffered unbearable emotional distress as well as tangible and intangible damage. The members who were harmed were also desperate to reveal the truth and prove their innocence. However, we worried that it may lead to extremely subjective and irresponsible claims being repeated without solving the issue, so we had decided to objectively reveal the truth through a fair and impartial investigation by the judicial authority. The entire truth and the injustice felt by the members mentioned will soon be revealed by the ongoing legal procedure. We once again apologize for causing many people to feel concerned and worried.”
One thing I would say to watch for is whether the company tries to (ironically) bully Hyunjoo and her family into settling. Also, one should dig into the details on how the judgment was reached. Because, in Korea, one can lose a defamation case even if telling the truth.
As you know, Korean defamation law differs from that of the West (mainly) in that:
1) Defamation is a crime (not just a civil matter).
2) Truth (alone) is not a defense. (“The truth shall not set you free.”)
In Korea, defamation is both a criminal and civil matter. Defamation is a crime, and the victim can also sue the perpetrator. So here, Daniel could also sue Mr. Yoon and Mr. Lee. A person found guilty of a defamation crime is most times punished by a (criminal) fine of a few hundred million won. A prison sentence (and actual prison time on top of that) is still somewhat rare. But not impossible, as we have seen here. In Korea, truth (alone) is not a defense, but defamation based on lies is punished more severely. Also, defamation perpetrated online tends to be punished more severely as well. Finally, when defamation is coupled with another crime (like here), the punishment might not be limited to a (criminal) fine or probation.
Beating the dead horse on that point on this site, but it’s an important thing to remember when fandoms are involved and will take any legal outcome as proof their bias is an angel or whatever.
So regardless of which way things go, just think for yourself and be sure to look for all the information available.
