A tabloid reporter has earned the legal wrath of YG Entertainment with multiple members in the agency - led by Yang Hyun Suk and Big Bang's Seungri - filing lawsuits against the reporter.

YG Entertainment CEO Yang Min Suk and chief producer Yang Hyun Suk have reportedly filed a libel lawsuit against an unnamed tabloid reporter, known to media only as 'K,' to the tune of 200 million won (~US$169,000) in damages for allegedly writing defamatory articles on illegal narcotics based on false information.

The heated legal situation reportedly came to a head when the tabloid reporter wrote about YG Entertainment's relationship with a suspect, identified as Harry Kim, who was apprehended for possession of cocaine while passing through Incheon International Airport.

Harry Kim has reportedly been seen in photos with YG Entertainment artists like Big Bang's G-Dragon and 2NE1's Sandara Park. But YG Entertainment has denied any connection with the cocaine arrest and has clarified that Harry Kim has never worked as a full-time employee at the agency.

In that same story, the 'K' listed past controversies surrounding YG Entertainment related with illegal narcotics and how it was curious that the prosecution office had not come up with clear solutions.

To his defense, the reporter claimed innocence and said "YG Entertainment is only focusing on the couple sentences but my article's intention was requesting the prosecution's office to do a thorough investigation."

Big Bang member Seungri and another YG Entertainment employee have also filed their own lawsuits against the tabloid reporter, claiming 50 million won (~$US42,000) and 30 million won (~$US25,000), respectively. They cited defamation based on stories written by the tabloid reporter such as offering speculation that Seungri's car crash last year was due to drunk driving, and how the YG employee won a court case related to his military enlistment and bragged about it due to his connection with the agency.

The lawyer representing the journalist reportedly responded to Seungri and the YG employee's lawsuits, saying: "It's not that reporter 'K' has any special [ill] feelings towards YG, but rather that he brings up suspicions in his articles about the prosecution letting the agency off the hook in hopes that a celebrity in the entertainment world will also become a person who is respected on the aspect of his personal life as well. This kind of freedom of the press must be assured."

Online commenters watching the controversy unfold took sides. Critics acknowledged that Yang Hyun Suk has to address the issues.

"But it's not like YG has ever made a clear cut public apology regarding issues like Park Bom. Yang Hyun Suk has plenty of issues himself. He's suing for libel?" said one of the top-ranked comments as compiled and translated by Netizenbuzz.

"Then why doesn't he just come out with a clarification for once," read another.

But supporters said the tabloid reporter had it coming. "Shhh, don't piss off the CEO," "[K] did cross many lines, he's trash," read some comments.

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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.