A South Korean court has made a groundbreaking ruling that online insults directed at virtual idols constitute defamation, ordering an internet user to pay 500,000 won ($360) in damages to members of the virtual K-pop group PLAVE. The Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province partially upheld a damages lawsuit brought by the five real performers who operate behind the group's digital avatars.

The court ordered the defendant to pay 100,000 won to each of the five members after they posted a series of derogatory comments on social media in July 2024. According to the ruling, the defendant made insulting remarks claiming that the people behind the avatars could be ugly in real life, said they gave off a "typical Korean man vibe," and used profanity in their posts. The performers argued that these remarks caused them significant emotional distress.

The plaintiffs had initially sought much higher compensation, demanding 6.5 million won each for a total of 32.5 million won in damages. However, the court awarded a significantly reduced amount while still acknowledging that harm had been done. The defendant attempted to argue that since the group consists of fictional characters with no revealed personal identities, defamation could not be legally established.

The court firmly rejected this defense, establishing important legal precedent regarding virtual identities. In its ruling, the court stated that avatars represent a form of self-expression and social interaction, not merely digital images. The judges determined that if an avatar is widely recognized as representing its user, insults aimed at the avatar can be regarded as personal attacks against the actual person behind it.

The court further clarified that the defendant's posts went beyond mere opinion and constituted personal attacks that caused genuine psychological distress to the performers. Nevertheless, the damages were limited to 100,000 won per member, with the court taking into account the specific language used and the circumstances surrounding the incident.

PLAVE debuted in 2023 as a five-member virtual idol group that delivers performances through actors using advanced motion-capture technology. The group consists of members named Yejun, Noah, Bamby, Eunho, and Hamin, who only appear as digital avatars while their real identities remain completely undisclosed to the public.

Legal experts have noted that this decision represents one of the first cases in South Korea to officially recognize that attacks on digital avatars can harm the reputations and well-being of the real people behind them. This ruling sets an important precedent for future disputes involving digital identity and online speech, particularly as virtual entertainment and digital personas become increasingly prevalent in modern society.