Choi Siwon vows to end silence, takes legal action against online harassers

Choi Siwon, a member of K-pop group Super Junior and an actor, has filed a lawsuit against online users who posted malicious comments targeting him.

On Tuesday, Choi wrote on Instagram: "Silence ends here. I will no longer stand by in the face of malice." He accompanied the post with a verse from Isaiah 41:10 — "DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU."

Choi filed a damages lawsuit against 10 individuals who posted content and comments mocking his perceived political leanings, religion and appearance.

His legal team requested the identity information of the account holders under US federal law, and the US District Court for the Northern District of California granted the discovery motion.

The backlash began in February, shortly after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison at his first trial on insurrection charges. Choi had posted on Instagram two classical Chinese phrases — "buluipiulmang" (injustice inevitably leads to ruin) and "tobungwahae" (the earth crumbles and the tiles fall) — which drew accusations of political bias and a torrent of malicious comments.