[theqoo] [EXCLUSIVE] CHOI SIWON “WHO LEFT SUPER JUNIOR AND WENT INTO POLITICS”, OBTAINS IDENTITY OF ONLINE HATER IN U.S. COURT

According to a comprehensive report by Sisa Journal on the 3rd, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted Choi Siwon’s motion for discovery filed the previous day, the 2nd, against 10 users of overseas platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.

According to court records obtained by this publication, Choi Siwon has been plagued by persistent malicious comments since former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on December 3. The severity of the malicious comments escalated last February, immediately after former President Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial on charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection, when Choi Siwon posted the four-character idiom “不義必亡 土崩瓦解” (What is unjust must perish; it will collapse completely, like crumbling earth and shattering tiles) along with a Bible verse on his social media. Controversy grew as this post was interpreted as a political message, and the backlash intensified when hardline conservative YouTuber Jeon Han-gil publicly extended an “invitation” to him.

Since then, X and YouTube have been flooded with insulting and mocking comments targeting Choi Siwon’s political views, religion, appearance, and career. The comments ranged from accusations such as “Leave Super Junior,” “If you want to be in politics, become a politician,” and “Are you clinging to your idol title just for the money?” to those linking him to a specific religion.

In response, Choi Siwon filed a lawsuit in May at the Seoul Central District Court against these 10 individuals, seeking damages for defamation and insult. Subsequently, to identify the defendants for the lawsuit, his legal team filed a motion in a U.S. court requesting that platform operators X and Google disclose the defendants’ names, dates of birth, and addresses. Choi Siwon’s legal team argued, “Given the Korean language used in the posts and the location data of the accounts, we do not believe any of the users are U.S. citizens or are located in the United States,” and requested that the court grant the motion.

The court granted Choi Siwon’s request. Citing a precedent that the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, does not apply to foreigners outside U.S. territory, the court ruled that “the posts concern residents of South Korea, and there is no basis to believe the authors are U.S. citizens,” thereby finding no grounds for a potential infringement. The court also determined that the scope of the request, limited to information necessary for identity verification, was not excessive.

Following this decision to grant the motion, Choi Siwon will be able to continue the lawsuit in South Korea. His agency, SM Entertainment, had previously stated, “To protect our artists, we are gathering evidence regarding the creation of false information and mocking posts, and we will gradually expand our legal response to any confirmed illegal acts,” so further action is expected.

1. He calls that “hate comment”?

2. How is that a hate comment?

3. ㅋㅋㅋ

4. Why is that a hate comment?

5. But when he’s the one doing it, he immediately files a lawsuit if his freedom of expression is infringed uponㅋㅋㅋ

6. Hate comment??? Wow, seems like we won’t even be able to speak anymore. They are just shutting us down now;;

7. He sued them for this?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

8. As expected, there’s no other country like Korea where everything is possible with money. This is the prime example

9. You’re telling me that he sued them for this??????

10. Even if they’re cleared of charges, just think how tough the process must have been… Sigh… I feel so bad for the fans