Several online users who repeatedly posted malicious content targeting NewJeans have been ordered to pay fines by South Korean courts in recent months.
The Busan District Prosecutors' Office issued a summary indictment in October 2025 against a woman identified as A, seeking a fine of 700,000 Korean won (approximately $500) on charges of insult.
According to reports, A was accused of maliciously editing photos of NewJeans members and spreading false information on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The final court ruling on this case has not yet been confirmed.
In a separate case, the Daegu District Court's Western Branch issued a summary order imposing a fine of 200,000 Korean won (roughly $140) against a man identified as B, who continuously posted malicious comments targeting NewJeans members on the online community FMKorea during the same period, according to allkpop.
Additionally, a man in his twenties was sentenced in November 2025 to a fine of 15 million Korean won (approximately $10,300) by the Pohang Branch of the Daegu District Court for creating and distributing fake videos using deepfake technology, as per Chosun.
The defendant superimposed the faces of NewJeans members Hae-rin, Ha-ni, and Min-ji onto inappropriate content and distributed the material through a Telegram chat room with over 200 participants. The court ordered him to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.
These legal actions reflect growing efforts by NewJeans' agency ADOR and the group's fanbase to combat online harassment. NewJeans' fandom Team Bunnies announced in 2024 that it would pursue criminal complaints against individuals involved in defamation, false information spreading, and malicious attacks.
As a result of these third-party complaints filed between September and December, approximately 44 individuals accused of posting malicious comments about NewJeans were referred to prosecutors without detention.
Team Bunnies also developed an artificial intelligence system in 2024 designed to monitor and identify malicious comments targeting the group, amplifying the fandom's enforcement efforts.
Legal experts note that fandoms taking proactive roles in filing complaints against malicious commenters has become increasingly common in South Korea's entertainment industry. According to attorney Kim Taeyeon from Taeyeon Law Office, "In the past, protecting artists was largely seen as the sole responsibility of their agencies, but recently, fandoms have become more proactive in filing complaints," mk reported
ADOR has stated that it conducts continuous monitoring of domestic and international online communities, music sites, and social media channels, taking strict legal action against all forms of rights violations targeting NewJeans members without exception.
