Death threats against K-pop artists: ZEROBASEONE's agency pursues legal action
What's the story
The K-pop fandom is undeniably fascinating!
However, when this fandom takes to the online sphere, an ugly side emerges, too, which often involves racial slurs, cyber-bullying, misogynistic comments, and sometimes outright death threats.
Notably, ZEROBASEONE—WAKEONE Entertainment's newest boy band—recently received multiple online posts threatening the personal safety of its artists.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Korean acts have encountered online threats.
Context
Why does this story matter?
ZB1 is a nine-member Korean act formed through Mnet's survival reality show, Boys Planet.
The group consists of members: Kim Gyu-vin, Kim Ji-woong, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Park Gun-wook, Seok Matthew, Sung Han-bin, Zhang Hao, and Han Yu-jin.
Their debut mini-album, YOUTH IN THE SHADE—released on July 10—has been receiving immense popularity, as the tracks in the album beautifully capture the essence of youth.
Legal action
ZB1's agency took legal action in response to threats
On Saturday, ZB1's agency released an official statement informing that they have taken legal action in response to threats.
Per reports, WAKEONE filed criminal charges against multiple individuals who shared malicious online posts threatening the members.
The agency further conveyed that it would "continue to take action" against such posts, as well as rumors aimed at defaming the artists, in the future, too.
#1
When BTS's Jungkook received death threats from stalker
In May, BTS's Jungkook issued a warning to his fans about sending him food. He expressed his concern about his privacy being invaded.
The situation took an ugly turn when a stalker not only claimed responsibility for sending Jungkook food but also went on to accuse him of being "rude" for rejecting the food.
Shockingly, the individual also confessed to attempting to murder Jungkook.
#2
TWICE's Dahyun faced death threats online
Last year, TWICE's Dahyun faced backlash from BLACKPINK's fans on Twitter during a live broadcast on the fan-based platform Bubble.
While hosting the show, BLACKPINK member Lisa's single, Lalisa, played on Dahyun's phone. After grooving to it briefly, Dahyun skipped it, explaining it was an advertisement.
Although her action wasn't malicious, some Blinks took offense and began sending death threats to Dahyun over this.