Starship Entertainment vowed to take strong legal action against individuals who are spreading edited photos of MONSTA X Shownu, seeking to taint his image.
According to a report by All Kpop, since Nov. 3, photos of a semi-naked man, passed out and unaware that his photos were being taken, have been circulating on the internet. It appeared that the man in the pictures was MONSTA X member Shownu.
Starship Entertainment responded and clarified that the images were manipulated to portray Shownu in a bad light. The label further said that it will report the first person who spread the image and those who helped distribute it to the public. The agency cited that circulating the edited photos of Shownu is a form of sexual violence. It is also considered a human rights violation. As such, Starship Entertainment vowed to hold the offenders accountable for violations of the Act on Information and Communication Network.
It can be recalled that, last week, Starship Entertainment also addressed the issue of Shownu's alleged affair with a married woman. In the label's statement, it also addressed allegations of a cover up hurled against the agency by former idol trainer Han Seo Hee.
In its message, Starship Entertainment denied claims that it was trying to cover up Shownu's alleged relationship with a married woman. It also clarified that, upon investigation, its team determined that Shownu was unaware that the woman he was involved in, was married. The label confirmed that the MONSTA X member was in contact with the woman before her marriage. But, he was unaware that she had a boyfriend or was in any relationship. She also did not inform Shownu that she got married last August.
Starship Entertainment said that, when the agency was contacted by the woman's husband, its representatives met with the man to clear up the matter. The label maintained that Shownu ceased communication with the woman upon learning that she was in a committed relationship, Metro reported.
The issue of Shownu's alleged affair with a married woman stemmed from a post by Han Seo Hee on Instagram Stories accusing Starship Entertainment's legal team of covering up the affair. She shared portions of the agency's response to an unidentified man who was trying to file charges against his wife for having a relationship with Shownu.
"Shownu revealed that he would not get involved in the matters of a married couple's relationship, and a text was sent via the law firm to confirm this stance," the agency stated.
