Former THE BOYZ member Ju Haknyeon has won a defamation case against an entertainment reporter who linked him to allegations of prostitution. The Seoul Central District Court has ordered the journalist to pay 200 million won (approximately USD 140,000) in damages, ruling that the claims were published without sufficient evidence to support them.

Ju Haknyeon defamation case

The verdict was delivered by the court’s Civil Division 25 on October 23, more than a year after the allegations triggered a controversy that cost Haknyeon his place in the K-pop group and led to the termination of his exclusive contract with agency One Hundred in June 2025.