The person who falsely accused IU of plagiarism has been ordered to pay the singer 30 million won ($21,000) in compensation, a local court ruled Wednesday.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that the defendant must compensate IU for damages she suffered after being falsely accused of plagiarism. The lawsuit was filed by the singer in September last year.


The perpetrator accused IU of plagiarizing six of her songs — “The Red Shoes” (2013), “Good Day” (2010), “Bbibbi” (2018), “Pitiful” (2009), “Boo” (2009) and “Celebrity” (2021) — from other artists and violating copyright law, filing a complaint with police in May last year.

However, police dismissed the complaint in August of the same year, explaining that the accusations did not constitute a crime.

Since IU filed the lawsuit, reports indicated that the defendant remained unresponsive throughout the trial, leading the court to proceed with the case through a public notification process.

IU is also pursuing legal action against others who spread the unfounded plagiarism accusations online, as well as those who posted malicious content about the singer. Some individuals have already faced criminal punishment, including fines.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]