A Seoul court has rejected HYBE's damages suit amid controversy over the spread of alleged falsehoods about girl group ILLIT.
On May 8, the Seoul Western District Court dismissed the damages claim filed by HYBE, its subsidiary label Belift Lab, and ILLIT members against content producer FastView. The court threw out all claims and ordered the plaintiffs to bear the full cost of the litigation.
Previously, in 2024, HYBE sued seven YouTube channels known as so-called "cyber wreckers," alleging they repeatedly spread false information about ILLIT, seeking roughly 280 million KRW in damages. Belift Lab and the members participated as co-plaintiffs.
The disputed videos reportedly claimed ILLIT copied other artists' concepts or choreography and accused the group of disparaging fellow artists through certain remarks. Through a separate legal process, it was confirmed that FastView operated the channels People Box and Da Issue among those named.
However, the court of first instance did not recognize liability for damages despite these arguments. While the detailed reasoning was not disclosed, the result means HYBE's legal push yielded no win in the initial ruling.
Meanwhile, ILLIT recently returned with their 4th mini album 'MAMIHLAPINATAPAI'.