BTS chart manipulation allegations resurface as court documents reveal illegal marketing claims

Recent judicial findings have reignited concerns over past allegations of chart manipulation, or "sajaegi", involving the globally renowned K-pop group BTS.

According to court documents obtained by local media, accusations against BTS's management company, HYBE (formerly known as Big Hit Music), include illegal marketing practices that were specifically acknowledged in the legal proceedings.

In 2017, an individual identified only as Mr. A was sentenced to one year in prison by Judge Sung Bo-gi of the Seoul Central District Court. Mr. A was found guilty of extortion after threatening to release documents to the media that he claimed proved BTS was involved in illegal marketing activities unless he was paid a sum of money. Over eight instances, Mr. A extorted a total of 57 million KRW (approximately $47,000).

The controversy stems from Mr. A's claims that he was hired to carry out online marketing for BTS and, facing financial difficulties, resorted to extortion using the documents he had acquired. He alleged that BTS had engaged in illegal marketing and chart manipulation tactics, accusations that HYBE has consistently denied.

HYBE's defense stated that the supposed illicit marketing activities mentioned by Mr. A were merely routine online viral marketing strategies and that Mr. A’s claims were an independent accusation not related to their agreed advertising services. The company also emphasized that the payments made to Mr. A were personal decisions by the artist management to protect BTS's image and were not an admission of guilt.

However, the court documents suggest a different narrative, highlighting that the information Mr. A threatened to expose was in fact related to illegal marketing practices undertaken by HYBE. The documents reveal that Mr. A disguised himself as a third party who had hacked the email and obtained the illegal marketing data, then used it to threaten the victims.

Legal experts commenting on the case noted that the judgment clearly mentions "illegal marketing," which indicates that such activities did indeed occur, and this was acknowledged by the court.

The law concerning music industry promotion (Article 26) classifies any act of purchasing or causing others to purchase music recordings to falsely inflate sales figures as sajaegi, a criminal offense punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million KRW (approximately $16,600).

In response to these renewed allegations, HYBE is reportedly preparing legal action to defend BTS's reputation. The company has detected multiple organized attempts to tarnish the group's image and reiterates its stance from 2017, denying any illegal activities.

This development adds another layer of complexity to the challenges faced by K-pop artists and their management companies in navigating the highly competitive music industry, where allegations of sajaegi have been a recurrent issue.