Rumors can cripple an acting career and increasingly celebrities are fighting back against the netizens who slander them. This week several female celebrities decided to take legal action against those spreading rumors that they are involved in a prostitution ring.
The Suwon District Public Prosecutor's Office has been investigating a prostitution ring. The investigation dates back to an incident in November in which attractive women were seen entertaining rich men. To date there has not been enough evidence gathered to issue any arrest warrants but the investigation led to plenty of rumors circulating on the Internet.
A list of 30 female celebrities that were supposedly involved in the ring quickly became viral. According to the list actresses Lee Da Hae and Kim Sarang and singer Sol Bi were among the celebrities involved in the ring. It was also rumored that comedian Jo Hye Ryun was the person brokering meetings between female celebrities and rich men. But it was a list that someone made up. It was not in any way associated with the actual police investigation.
These celebrities denied any involvement in the investigation and felt they needed to take a stand.
Comedian Jo Hye Ryun was so hurt by the rumors that she went to the police. Her agency issued a statement saying the rumors had inflicted emotional damage.
"It is not true that Jo Hye Run was involved in any way. To prevent any more damage we will request a police investigation to find the person spreading the rumors," said a representative from her agency.
Lee Da Hae's legal team also released a statement.
"It has gotten to a point where the rumors cannot be ignored. We must consider that there may be similar situations in the future, so we will take legal action to make this case into an example."
The other celebrities named also said that the rumors were unfounded.
On a recent episode of "One Night of TV Entertainment," reporters from major Korean media outlets discussed the case and talked about which facts had been overlooked in the interest of sensationalism.
"From what I know, the majority of the women involved in this prostitution case are aspiring singers and actresses," he said. They are not stars, but rather ordinary people who got implicated in this case, but some reports are calling them celebrities."
Another reporter who spoke on the show found it unfortunate that the focus of the investigation was on the women involved rather than the men who enlisted their services.
