More Agencies Announce Legal Action Against False Rumors of Involvement With Religious Sect

Updated March 4 KST:

Additional agencies have released statements denying involvement in a certain religious sect.

SM Entertainment, KeyEast Entertainment, MAJOR9, and MSteam Entertainment announced through official statements that their artists and actors have no involvement in the sect and will take firm legal action.

Huh Gak’s agency Play M Entertainment also denied the singer’s involvement, while Song Ji Hyo’s agency Creative Group ING denied her involvement. Both agencies warned of legal action.

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Original Article:

More and more artists are cracking down on the spread of false rumors related to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).

On March 4, FNC Entertainment released an official statement, saying, “Recently one of our artists was rumored to be a part of a certain religion, when that is wholly untrue. None of our artists belong to that religion.”

The religion in question is Shincheonji, a fundamentalist sect of Christianity in Korea which has been reported as largely responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19 in Daegu. New reports state that 12 executive members of the church face charges of homicide by willful negligence for ignoring isolation orders made by government and health officials.

The FNC representative continued, “Many people are currently suffering around the world because of COVID-19, and we are currently doing our part to prevent the spread of the disease. However, we will not stand by and allow baseless rumors to spread. We will be taking strong legal action against those who continue to spread the rumors.”

Their full statement reads as follows:

Hello, this is FNC Entertainment.

Recently, an online community shared rumors about one of our artists being involved with a certain religion. This rumor is wholly untrue. We would like to inform you that none of our artists belong to that religion.

Many people are currently suffering around the world because of COVID-19, and we are currently doing our part to prevent the spread of the disease.

However, we will not stand by and allow baseless rumors and malicious comments about our artists to spread on online message boards. We will be taking strong legal action against those people who continue to spread the rumors. Additionally, we will do all we can to monitor and protect our artists. Thank you.

Namoo Actors, which represents actors such as Ji Sung and Moon Geun Young, and BH Entertainment, which houses talent such as Kim Go Eun and Yoo Ji Tae, both released similar statements denying their artists’ involvement with Shincheonji and stating that they would pursue legal action against the netizens who spread such malicious comments.

Similarly, Nam Gyu Ri and her agency also released a statement denying involvement with Shincheonji. In an official statement released on March 4, Nam Gyu Ri’s agency Contents Nanda Kinda said, “Nam Gyu Ri is not involved with that religion. We ask that you do not spread rumors which are untrue.”

Their full statement reads as follows:

Hello, this is Contents Nanda Kinda.

Firstly, we’d like to sincerely thank all of the fans who love and support our artist Nam Gyu Ri.

Recently, rumors have been circulating among online communities that Nam Gyu Ri is involved with a certain religion. We would like to inform you that Nam Gyu Ri is not in any way involved with that religion.

We ask that you refrain from spreading rumors which are untrue. Once again, we thank you for your interest and love of our artists, and we ask that you continue to give them your warmth and support. Thank you.

Gummy also spoke out against accusations of being a part of this religion. Her agency, C-JeS Entertainment, released a statement on March 4, as well. The representative said, “The rumor that Gummy is a member of the Shincheonji religious group is untrue. We are currently monitoring online communities for these such false rumors being spread. We will seek legal action against such malicious commenters who seek to hurt Gummy with these false rumors.”

These artists and agencies join a number of others who have denied involvement with Shincheonji, including Ivy, Tei, and Lee Dong Wook. The wave of response comes after the spread of a list being shared on social media titled, “Famous celebrities who are Shincheonji believers.”

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Top Center/Right Photo Credit: Xportnews