Singer and actor Choi Si-won of K-pop group Super Junior. [Newsis]
Singer and actor Choi Si-won of K-pop group Super Junior. [Newsis]

Super Junior member and actor Choi Si-won has obtained the identities of online harassers through a US court.

The US District Court for the Northern District of California granted Choi's discovery motion against 10 users of X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube on July 2 (local time), according to Sisajournal and other outlets.

Discovery is a pretrial procedure in US civil litigation that requires parties to disclose evidence and information relevant to the case.

Choi's legal team had requested that X and Google provide identifying information — including names, dates of birth and addresses — of the post authors, in connection with a damages lawsuit filed in South Korea. The US court accepted the request.

Choi filed the damages lawsuit against 10 post authors at the Seoul Central District Court in May, alleging he had suffered harm from insulting posts and malicious comments targeting his political views, religion and appearance.

The backlash began in February, shortly after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison at his first-instance trial on charges of leading an insurrection. Choi posted on social media the phrases "Buluipiulmang" — meaning "injustice will surely lead to ruin" — and "Tobungwahae" — meaning "the earth crumbles and the tiles fall." The posts sparked controversy over his perceived political leanings and drew a torrent of abusive comments.

SM Entertainment subsequently filed a criminal complaint with investigative authorities, saying "malicious posts including personal attacks and insults directed at Choi Si-won have been confirmed to be persistent and repeated," and announced it was pursuing a firm legal response.

Meanwhile, Choi drew attention again after posting a nighttime landscape photo on social media. Speculation circulated online that it had been taken near Seoul Olympic Park, where rallies related to election fraud allegations and calls for a re-election were being held. Choi deleted the photo before the controversy could spread further.


betterj@heraldcorp.com