SM Entertainment announced on July 16th that they will be requesting the cessation of privacy infringement acts against their artists and will be taking legal action.

SM stated, "We will not overlook excessive privacy infringement acts on the so-called 'private lives' of our artists and plan to deal with them strictly."

Regarding indiscriminate privacy infringement and stalking, SM stated, "These acts are not an expression of fan love, but illegal acts that infringe upon the privacy of artists and others, and are clear criminal acts. Under the recently enacted 'Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, etc.', criminal punishment with imprisonment may be imposed."

They continued, "To protect our artists, we will abandon the lenient attitude we have maintained towards sasaeng fans until now and will take decisive and strong legal action without leniency or agreement." They added, "We plan to take all possible legal measures, both civil and criminal, including criminal charges and claims for damages for mental and financial harm."

The full text of the request to cease privacy infringement acts against artists and the legal measures to be taken is as follows:

This is SM Entertainment.

We are announcing our position regarding the continued illegal acts such as severe privacy infringement and defamation against our artists.

We will be taking strong action, including criminal charges, against malicious slander and false rumors about artists posted on online portals, social media, and communities, which we are currently monitoring through fan cooperation and internal monitoring.

We will no longer overlook excessive privacy infringement acts on the so-called 'private lives' of our artists and plan to deal with them strictly.

Acts such as following artists for extended periods using 'taxis' (used to stalk celebrities' private lives), following artists to their military service locations while they are serving, identifying their residences and entering their homes or parking lots, and unilaterally sending packages without knowing the sender, are 'sasaeng' stalking acts that cause severe mental and material damage not only to the artists but also to their families, acquaintances, and neighbors. These acts are not an expression of fan love, but illegal acts that infringe upon the privacy of artists and others, and are clear criminal acts. Under the recently enacted 'Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, etc.', criminal punishment with imprisonment may be imposed.

To protect our artists, we will abandon the lenient attitude we have maintained towards sasaeng fans until now and will take decisive and strong legal action without leniency or agreement. We have already secured a considerable amount of evidence, including CCTV footage, black box recordings from vehicles, photos and videos, communication records, mail, and emails. Based on this evidence, we plan to take all possible legal measures, both civil and criminal, including criminal charges and claims for damages for mental and financial harm.

Please immediately cease acts that infringe upon artists' privacy, such as 'stalking celebrities' private lives', and exercise extreme caution to avoid any disadvantages due to your wrongful actions.

Article Source: ⓒNewsen

These are English translations of articles from our GTTOUR Japanese website.