What happened:

BTS members V (Kim Taehyung) and Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook) won on appeal in their civil damages lawsuit against the operator of the YouTube channel “탈덕수용소” (De-Fandom Camp).

The appellate court increased each member’s award by KRW 5 million.


Court / case info:

Seoul Western District Court, Civil Appellate Division 2-1 (Presiding Judge Lee Jun-cheol).

Decision date: January 23, 2026.

Case number: 2025나1106.


Who is the defendant and what did they do:

The defendant, Mr. Park (surname Park), operated the channel “탈덕수용소” from 2021 to 2023.

The channel allegedly posted unfounded defamatory content targeting celebrities.


How the lawsuit began:

BigHit (label) along with V and Jungkook sued in March 2024 for damages totaling about KRW 90 million, citing defamation.


What the trial court (1st instance) did:

In February 2025, the first-instance court ordered the defendant to pay,

BigHit – KRW 51 million

Jungkook – KRW 15 million

V – KRW 10 million



What changed on appeal:

The appellate court reversed the parts where V and Jungkook had lost additional claims and ordered extra compensation,

+ KRW 5 million to Jungkook

+ KRW 5 million to V


Final totals after appeal,

Jungkook – KRW 20 million

V – KRW 15 million

(BigHit amount remains as set by the 1st instance in the summary provided.)



Why this matters:

It’s another example of courts treating “cyber wrecker” style content as civilly actionable when it crosses into defamation and reputational harm.

The increase on appeal signals the court found the harm or liability broader than what the first instance recognized for the two individuals.


Related litigation:

The same operator is involved in multiple celebrity cases,

Jang Wonyoung (IVE) – damages awarded in separate proceedings (including an appellate outcome mentioned).

Starship Entertainment – separate action also referenced (including appellate mediation/settlement-type outcome).

Kang Daniel – damages award at trial and an appellate forced mediation/settlement-type outcome.


A separate criminal defamation-related case pending at the Supreme Court was noted as having a decision expected on January 29 (2025도19827).

Article: https://www.lawtimes.co.kr/Case-curation/215265