NJZ (NewJeans) wins damages lawsuit against YouTuber who sexualized members
NJZ (NewJeans) scored a legal victory over a YouTuber who repeatedly targeted them with sexualized edited videos and offensive comments.
The Seoul Western District Court ruled partially in favor of NewJeans in their damages suit against the content creator known as “A.”
A ran two YouTube channels last year, posting more than 20 videos manipulating NewJeans performances in a sexualized way. Investigators also uncovered degrading comments, including calling their song “Cookie” “굵기” (meaning “thickness” or “girth”) and writing, “I want to make them moms of many kids.”
The court ordered A to pay ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,600 USD) each to Minji, Danielle, and Hanni. Haerin and Hyein will receive ₩7.00 million KRW (about $5,040 USD) each. The total damages add up to ₩29.0 million KRW (about $20,900 USD).
No appeals were filed, and the ruling was finalized on July 22.
In June last year, NewJeans’ agency ADOR filed a criminal complaint against A and pursued a civil suit seeking ₩100 million KRW (about $72,000 USD) in damages.
Meanwhile, NJZ is also involved in a legal battle with ADOR over their exclusive contract. The court recently upheld ADOR’s ban on the members taking on entertainment or advertising work without agency consent.
In April, another ruling warned that any independent activities by the members without approval would cost ₩1.00 billion KRW (about $720,000 USD) per violation, per member.
The court gave both sides time to seek a settlement. The next hearing on the contract’s validity is set for August 14.
“I want to make them moms of many kids.” — Offensive comment by YouTuber “A”
“굵기” (meaning “thickness” or “girth”) — Rude reference to NewJeans’ song “Cookie” by YouTuber “A”
