In January 2017, a case emerged where A blackmailed agency officials by threatening to disclose evidence of illegal marketing by BTS to the media if they did not pay 57 million won. The court’s ruling cited the use of improper marketing tactics by Big Hit Music as the reason for the extortion and explained their decision.
Upon the incident becoming public knowledge, doubts were raised regarding the possible involvement of BTS and Big Hit Music in the manipulation. However, Big Hit Music refuted these accusations and attributed them to a “typical viral marketing tactic”.
Nevertheless, the announcement of the ruling came late, causing renewed suspicions of manipulation and ongoing controversy. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism received complaints urging them to investigate the allegations of manipulation surrounding BTS.
In response to the growing public outrage, Big Hit Music issued a statement on May 2nd, denying any allegations of manipulation marketing, concept plagiarism, Dahnworld-related rumors, or other accusations that may harm the reputation of BTS.
As a result of BTS’s involvement in unpleasant issues, their fandom ARMY expressed disappointment in the company by sending protest trucks and condolence wreaths to HYBE’s office building in Yongsan, Seoul. These messages criticized HYBE and showed support for BTS.
As the court ruling is interpreted, there will likely be a continued influx of opinions and doubts surrounding previous allegations of music chart manipulation will only grow stronger.
Lawyer Jeon Jae-no clarified, “Although Big Hit Music has been implicated in chart manipulation and unlawful marketing, the court’s ruling does not provide any proof that the BTS members were informed of or participated in such practices.”In simpler terms, the court’s statement suggests that the BTS members may not have been informed of or participated in the illicit marketing activities mentioned, implying that the responsibility for these actions may solely lie with the agency.
The protests by Fandom are predicted to persist for the foreseeable future. Specifically, ARMYs have released a statement through a newspaper demanding that HYBE safeguard their artists.
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