Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to Investigate Allegations Surrounding BTS
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is set to launch an investigation into allegations surrounding BTS.
It has been confirmed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism received complaints requesting an investigation into the allegations of music chart manipulation related to BTS.
An official from the ministry stated, “It is true that we have received complaints regarding music chart manipulation involving BTS, and after reviewing these complaints at the Korea Creative Content Agency, we will proceed with the investigation.”
The complainant, Mr. A, stated in the complaint, “According to the court’s verdict on a defamation case that occurred in January 2017, contrary to the position of the agency (Big Hit Music) at the time, the court accepted the content of the threat, which claimed that the perpetrator threatened by asserting the fact that ‘the affiliated celebrity’s music chart was manipulated through methods such as chart manipulation’ as stated by the investigating agency, and recognized that Big Hit Music was involved in ‘illegal marketing’ and ‘chart manipulation marketing’.”
Furthermore, Mr. A added, “Judging from the contents of the verdict, it cannot be ruled out that illegal marketing was conducted even during the period from the enactment of the amended ‘Act on the Promotion of the Music Industry,’ which regulates ‘music chart manipulation,’ on September 23, 2016, until receiving the first email from the defendant on January 11, 2017. As a result of the threat, Big Hit Music ultimately had no choice but to transfer a large sum of money.”
Mr. A emphasized, “Although the statute of limitations for such actions under the Act on the Promotion of the Music Industry has expired, there is a need to clarify the substantive truth of this incident in order to promote democracy, establish the rule of law, and create a fair market economy, as well as to promote healthy distribution culture and distribution order of albums. Therefore, I strongly urge the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to thoroughly investigate this matter and disclose the results to the public.”
In addition, Mr. A also demanded an investigation into the incident of the ‘Melon Music Awards’ held in 2016, pointing out that:
- BTS consistently ranked lower than EXO in the album rankings
- BTS’s albums on the Gaon Chart recorded figures that were more than 2 times lower than EXO’s albums
- Despite EXO winning by a significant margin in the Melon Music Awards voting, BTS still won the “Album of the Year Award”, indicating an unclear situation.
On the other hand, according to the verdict and evidence obtained by media outlet “Sports Trends”, in August 2017, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced B, who was indicted on charges of joint blackmail, to one year in prison in August 2017.
B was charged with extorting a total of 57 million won (approx 40,000 USD) by sending emails to agency officials in January 2017, claiming that they have material evidence of illegal marketing. “If you don’t pay, I will disclose the related information to the media”, BTS said at the time.
The court specified “illegal marketing” in the verdict and pointed out in the sentencing reasons that “Big Hit Music engaged in marketing activities through improper means, giving grounds for extortion.”
Regarding this, Attorney Noh Jong-eun, from the law firm Presence, stated, “The ‘illegal marketing’ in this case refers to ‘music chart manipulation marketing,’ and the court decided to specify this fact because it determined that such facts existed.”
Meanwhile, Big Hit Music has denied all allegations of music chart manipulation surrounding BTS and announced their intention to take legal action on May 2.
Source: Daum
