Hybe, Belift Lab seek legal action against malicious overseas poster

Hybe headquarters, located in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul (Newsis)

Hybe and its subsidiary label Belift Lab have initiated an international legal campaign against an overseas individual who allegedly spread false information about their artists online, Belift Lab said Thursday.

Belift Lab, which manages boy band Enhypen and girl group Illit, filed for the preservation of evidence in an Argentine civil court after identifying the location of the anonymous user who spread rumors about the two groups through proceedings in a US court.

The move marks a rare case of a K-pop agency using cross-border judicial cooperation to identify and take action against a malicious poster based outside South Korea.

If granted, the court order would require local internet service providers or telecommunications companies to preserve identifying information linked to the user’s IP address. Once obtained, Hybe and Belift Lab plan to file a civil lawsuit in Argentina, with additional civil or criminal action possible.

Belift Lab identified the user as an anonymous X account holder who, since opening the account in March 2023, has posted more than 3,000 messages that it says contained baseless accusations against its artists.

The individual claimed that Hybe forced artists to attend certain political events, illegally collected private messages from former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin and maintained improper ties with judicial officials to influence certain court rulings. Hybe denied all claims.

While false claims have long been common in K-pop, agencies have often struggled to hold commenters accountable when they were based overseas or when jurisdictional limits restricted legal action in South Korea.