K-pop group NewJeans has asked a federal court to order Google to release the identity of the person behind allegedly YouTube account, which the members say is spreading defamatory statements and videos about them.
The move is the latest example of K-pop stars responding to the pressures they face from fervid online fan culture. The request, if granted, would allow the group to sue the YouTube user in South Korea for defamation and insult, which are criminal offenses in the country.
Mr. Eugene Kim, the lawyer representing NewJeans in the lawsuit, stated that the YouTube account had engaged in “name-calling and other malicious mocking.