NEWS abt Shinji

Stars sue to stop rumors

 

With the latest wave of rumors sweeping the online world about celebrity prostitution rings, keeping their names out of the muck is a priority for many stars, particularly for actresses and female singers.

Among those taking action are actress Lee Da-hae and singer Shin-ji, a member of the dance group Koyote.

Lee said yesterday that she filed a defamation complaint at the Seoul Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Friday, asking authorities to punish those who have attached her name to the gossip.

“We have put up with many rumors and negative comments online, but as the damage is getting bigger, we can’t continue ignoring it,” said Lee’s agency.

Singer Shin-ji has asked local police to find the person who started spreading the rumors. “She feels humiliated as a woman, not as a celebrity, to an unbearable level,” said an official at her agency. “Her family is also in pain.”

By Lee Sun-min
CopyrightsⓒKorea JoongAng Daily, All rights reserved.

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Female celebrities allegedly involved in rumoured prostitution scandal to seek legal action

Koyote’s Shinji and Lee Dahae have spoken up about the recent scandal that maliciously names that as members of a celebrity prostitution ring, along with alleged lead person, Jo Hyeryun.

On December 17th, Shinji and Lee Dahae both denied their involvement and are set to be taking legal actions towards the netizens that stared the rumours. Lee Dahae made the first move through her legal team, stating that the rumours are groundless, further emphasising that legal action against the perpetrator shall be in place. They went to state that the actress has tolerated with all types of malicious rumours and comments in the past, but the current situation is more damaging as actual identities are maliciously revealed online.

ITM, the management agency handling Koyote’s Shinji, also released their own statement urging the investigators to find the person responsible for the rumour, as her image is slowly being tarnished by the malicious story. Further saying, that aside from causing significant damage to her activities as a singer, the issue is also the cause of distress to Shinji and her family.

Last December 13th, various media outlets in South Korea reported on a current investigation involving a number of female celebrities in a prostitution cover-up, causing rumours to circulate through various social networking sites, with some allegedly naming the said celebrities involved. Currently, an official investigation as to the main source of these rumours is being officiated at the Yongsan Police Station.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

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Celebrities are striking back over online rumors that they were involved in a high-class prostitution scandal.
Comedian Jo Hye-ryeon on Monday asked police to find the person who generated the rumor that she is involved.

The rumor, which surfaced last week, also implicates actresses Lee Da-hae and Hwang Soo-jeong and singer Shinji.

But the performers in a press release on Tuesday said the rumor is "malicious". "We tried to ignore it, but now that our names have been directly mentioned, our patience has worn thin", they said.

They added they feel "insulted" as women.

The rumor started spreading largely through Kakao Talk, last Thursday after reports that the police is investigating a prostitution scandal involving some celebrities.

Messages claimed that about a dozen female celebrities are involved and that they sold sexual favors for between W7 million and W50 million (US$1=W1,052).

Industry insiders say that even if the rumor proves false, the damage is already done.

"If he or she does not take action against it, people say 'that's because they're worried'. And if they do take action, people say, 'Oh that wasn't true? Ok, then'," a staffer with an entertainment agency said. "Either way, those involved are already hurt".

"No matter whether the rumor is true or not, it strikes a fatal blow to those involved as it tarnishes their image, which affects their casting for dramas or commercials".

It is becoming harder to trace the origins of such rumors because service providers store message data only for a limited period of time -- chats on Kakao Talk are usually deleted after five days.

 http://www.hancinema.net/celebrities-strike-back-over-sex-scandal-rumors-63964.html


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