Hive Faces 'Media Manipulation' and 'Mental Illness' Comments: Prosecutors Determine "No Charges"

A netizen who wrote comments using the expressions 'media manipulation' and 'mental illness' towards Hive has received a no-charge disposition from prosecutors.

According to a report by Financial News on the 20th, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, Bucheon Branch, decided that there was 'no offense' regarding individual A, who was accused of defamation and insult under the Information and Communications Network Act.

Individual A left comments in September last year on a Naver news article related to Hive while abroad, stating, "Hive acquired a media manipulation company in the U.S. last time," "Hive seems to be collectively suffering from mental illness," and "Did Bang Si-hyuk get pressured like Hamas to just lie?"

In response, Hive claimed that Individual A made false statements that damaged their reputation and insulted the company by comparing it to a terrorist organization and characterizing it as a group suffering from mental illness, leading to legal action. Hive asserted that Individual A's comments harmed their reputation by presenting false information.

The Prosecutor's Ruling and the Boundary of Online Freedom of Expression

The prosecutors ruled that neither the defamation nor insult charges were applicable in this case.

They explained, "The Agency Group is a publicity agency that edits favorably for entertainers, making it difficult to regard the term 'manipulation' as a false statement" and noted, "Even if The Agency is referred to as a media manipulation company, it is hard to consider that this harms Hive's social evaluation."

Additionally, while the prosecutors acknowledged that terms like 'mentally ill person' or 'Hamas' were used disrespectfully, they determined that the comment could be seen as an expression of personal opinion. They emphasized that for public figures or matters, the criteria for establishing insult should be scrutinized more rigorously.

The conclusion reached was that "the content of the written comment alone does not significantly lower Hive's social evaluation of its personal value." This case has garnered attention as a legal judgment concerning online criticism of entertainment companies, freedom of expression, and the boundaries of defamation.

Image source: Bang Si-hyuk / News1, “Hive media manipulation · Bang Si-hyuk pressure” comments no charge… why?