Five-member virtual idol group PLAVE (Image credit: VLAST)
GOYANG, South Korea, Sept. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court has ruled that members of a virtual idol group are entitled to damages over defamatory online comments, marking a significant precedent in how the law treats avatars in the digital age.
On May 17, the Uijeongbu District Court’s Goyang branch ordered an individual, identified only as A, to pay 100,000 won (about $73) each to the five performers behind PLAVE, a computer-generated idol group that debuted in 2023.
The case centered on a series of derogatory remarks A posted on social media last July, including insults about the group’s appearance and expletives directed at PLAVE.
The performers, who act through motion-capture avatars without revealing their real identities, sued for 6.5 million won each in damages, citing emotional distress.
Korean Judges Extend Defamation Protections to Avatars in Landmark Case
In its ruling, the court rejected A’s argument that because PLAVE members exist only as virtual characters, insults could not harm the real people behind them.
Judge Jang Yoo-jin held that in the metaverse era, “an avatar is not merely a virtual image but a form of self-expression, identity and social communication. To disparage an avatar is to disparage the person represented.”
The court found the comments amounted to personal attacks rather than opinion, and acknowledged the performers suffered psychological harm. Still, it limited compensation to 100,000 won per plaintiff, citing the degree of expression and circumstances of the case.
The decision underscores a growing recognition in South Korea’s legal system that digital avatars and their human operators are inseparably linked, particularly as virtual idols like PLAVE attract large fan bases and play an expanding role in the entertainment industry.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
