A South Korean movie critic has been instructed to pay compensation after incorrectly blaming BY4M STUDIO for mounting negative publicity against the 2022 disaster movie 'Emergency Declaration.'

On August 19, the Seoul Western District Court's Civil Division 912 decided that the critic, who is identified as A, would have to pay ₩25 million in damages—₩20 million, or approximately $18,500 in damages—$14,800 to BY4M STUDIO and $3,700 to its CEO—plus late interest.

In its ruling, the court added that A's claims damaged the reputation of the company in the industry.

"The online posts alleging BY4M STUDIO intentionally spread negative sentiment toward Emergency Declaration were false and damaging," the court ruled.

This civil case follows an earlier ruling in August 2023, when the Seoul Central District Court fined the same critic ₩5 million (approximately $3,700) under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The critic did not appeal, making the fine final.

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The critic contended that BY4M STUDIO, which had invested in a number of 2022 releases such as Hansan: Rising Dragon, Alienoid Part 1, and Hunt, but not Emergency Declaration, aimed to create bad word-of-mouth for the latter on the internet.

Retaliation came in the form of Showbox, the distributor of Emergency Declaration, calling for a police inquiry in September 2022.

BY4M STUDIO also lodged its own criminal complaint the next month. The company said at the time, "Critic A has been recklessly spreading falsehoods and posting defamatory content targeting our CEO and staff. We will correct the record through legal means."

BY4M STUDIO became a household name in Korea's film industry in a very short span. In three years, it became the country's top revenue-generating distributor by early 2025 and included box office hits such as Hitman 2 and The Match.

The recent court ruling is a legal victory for BY4M STUDIO and ensures that it keeps getting stronger as it unfolds its wings in the domestic market.

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