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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Giuliano de Leon

Bullying, Insulting Virtual Idols' Avatars is Actually Illegal in South Korea — Court Explains Why

X South Korea Instagram
A picture of MAVE, a popular virtual girl group in South Korea. (Credit: mave_official_/Instagram)

Virtual idols in South Korea, including MAVE and PLAVE, have long faced harassment online, often dismissed by netizens as harmless because the idols are not 'real.'

But that view no longer holds legal water. Earlier in September, the Uijeongbu District Court's Goyang branch ordered a user to pay damages for insulting avatars of PLAVE, ruling that abuse of virtual figures amounts to defamation of the real performers behind them.

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