The HYBE labels have provided updates on legal measures taken to protect their artists from malicious activities.
On June 29, the labels shared the following updates on the progress of legal proceedings against malicious activities violating the rights of HYBE artists—including BTS, TXT, CORTIS, TWS, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans, ILLIT, BOYNEXTDOOR, &TEAM, and Zico—via each artist’s official Weverse. SEVENTEEN also released an official statement providing legal updates earlier on June 26.
BTS
Hello.
This is BIGHIT MUSIC.We are continuously taking legal action against criminal acts that infringe upon BTS’s rights and interests, including defamation, insults, sexual harassment, and malicious slander.
We would like to provide an update on the major legal actions taken as of the second quarter of 2026.1. Comprehensive Monitoring and Application of a Zero-Tolerance Policy Toward Malicious Posts
Through our own monitoring system and the valuable reports submitted by fans, we are collecting evidence in real time of malicious posts about the artists posted on major online communities. In accordance with these efforts, one individual—who repeatedly posted entirely baseless and fabricated information across various online platforms to disparage our artists—had charges of both defamation via false information and criminal insult sustained. This perpetrator has subsequently received a deferred prosecution disposition, which is contingent upon their successful completion of a mandatory educational program.
During this quarter, we also filed complaints against the authors of malicious posts related to BTS on domestic communities (TheQoo, Instiz, Naver, Daum (Women’s Generation, Jjukbbang, Souldresser, etc.), Nate, Dmitory, DC Inside “galleries” including the BTS Gallery, Male Celebrity Gallery, and Domestic Entertainment Gallery, Ilgan Best, FMKorea, and others), music sites (Melon, Bugs Music, Genie Music, and others), and overseas social media channels (Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, and others). Furthermore, we wish to inform you that in addition to our regular filing cycles, we have initiated additional ongoing complaint procedures.
In particular, we are relentlessly tracking down and holding legally accountable, without exception, those responsible for malicious hate speech intended to evade punishment behind anonymity and fake news that is systematically promoted. We also wish to inform you that we are tracking and responding to acts involving the leaking and distribution of content that has not been made public. Even in cases where individuals attempt to destroy evidence by deleting posts after publishing them, all such cases are included as subjects of complaints without exception based on our real-time evidence collection system. We will take the strongest possible legal measures, without any settlement or leniency, against all acts that inflict mental suffering on our artists.
2. Guilty Verdict for Crimes Involving Trespassing at an Artist’s Residence and Stalking
With regard to the crime involving the invasion of our artists’ privacy, which was a matter of great concern for fans, we would like to share the trial result of the case announced in the first quarter (charges of violating the Stalking Punishment Act and trespassing).
An arrest warrant was issued for the defendant who trespassed at an artist’s residence and repeatedly engaged in stalking behavior. The defendant underwent a criminal trial while being detained in a detention center for approximately three months, and the court, recognizing the seriousness of the offense, sentenced the defendant to one year of imprisonment with a two-year suspended sentence.
We maintain a zero-tolerance policy without leniency toward offenders targeting our artists, and this applies equally to both Korean nationals and foreign nationals. If a foreign national receives criminal punishment for trespassing and stalking crimes, the offender may be forcibly deported to their home country and may be subject to a ban on entering South Korea.
Loitering around an artist’s residence, watching and waiting for the artist, or leaving gifts behind are not harmless expressions of interest but manifest criminal offenses. We wish to inform you that we will continue to take strong legal actions, including immediate reports to the police, against all unlawful approaches made under the pretext of conveying personal feelings to our artists.
The foundation of our legal response lies in the proactive reports shared by fans who champion a mature fan culture. If you discover unlawful acts that infringe upon our artists’ rights and interests, please report them through the “HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Website (https://protect.hybecorp.com).”
We sincerely thank you for your unwavering love for BTS.
In our commitment to the safety of our artists, we remain dedicated to implementing and enhancing proactive protective measures.Thank you.
BIGHIT MUSIC
TXT
Hello.
This is BIGHIT MUSIC.We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to fans of TXT for their constant love and dedicated support.
In order to protect the rights and reputation of TXT, we have been consistently pursuing legal action against unlawful acts such as malicious slander, the dissemination of false information, defamation, and sexual harassment occurring online, based on valuable reports from fans and our own internal monitoring system.
Furthermore, we have been monitoring domestic online communities (Naver, Daum (including Daum Cafes such as Jjukbbang or Women’s Generation), Nate, TheQoo, DC Inside, Instiz, FMKorea, etc.), various music platforms, and overseas social media channels (X, Instagram, YouTube, etc.), and have collected evidence of malicious posts and comments involving insults and sexual harassment directed at the artists. In particular, we have identified posts that cause sexual humiliation toward the artists, posts that defame the artists by disparaging their achievements, insulting content that degrades the public perception of their individual honor and character, and posts containing false information about the direction of the artists’ activities. We have completed the filing of criminal complaints regarding these matters and will actively cooperate to ensure that the police investigations are carried out thoroughly and efficiently going forward.
We will continue to pursue malicious actors to the very end so that the artists’ reputations are not unjustly damaged. In order to ensure stable activities of our artists and foster a healthy fan culture, we once again clearly state that we will adhere strictly to a zero-tolerance policy, without any settlement or leniency, toward malicious actors. In particular, we will seek stricter legal accountability against offenders who repeatedly and habitually post harmful content through certain platforms, including expressions that cause sexual humiliation or otherwise damage the artists’ dignity.
In addition, we are also closely monitoring cases of unauthorized use of our artists’ music. In this regard, we are in close communication with various platforms to suspend the distribution of such audio tracks, and we will take strong legal action against repeat uploaders whose actions meet the criteria for illegal conduct.
Throughout this legal response process, active reports from fans are always of great help. If you encounter any illegal online activity, such as malicious posts related to the artists, please report them through the “HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report system (https://protect.hybecorp.com).” For effective use as evidence, we recommend submitting reports with a full-screen PC screenshot or PDF printout that clearly shows the URL, post content, author information, posting date, and capture date.
We sincerely thank all fans who continue to show unwavering love and dedication to TXT. BIGHIT MUSIC will continue to devote its full efforts to protecting the rights and interests of our artists.
Thank you.
CORTIS
Hello.
This is BIGHIT MUSIC.Based on our real-time, ongoing monitoring efforts and the valuable reports submitted by COER, we regularly pursue criminal complaints against acts that infringe upon our artists’ rights. We would like to provide an update on our recent legal actions.
1. Legal Action Against Malicious Posts and Other Violations of Artist Rights
We have identified posts and comments infringing upon the artists’ rights across a wide range of online platforms, including major online communities, portal sites, social media accounts, and music streaming platforms. The subjects of our recent complaints include malicious posts and comments containing disparagement and insults directed at the artists, the dissemination of clearly false information regarding the artists and the performance of their albums and music releases as well as content that manipulates the artists’ images in a manner that infringes upon their dignity and causes sexual humiliation.
The illicit creation and circulation of harmful content aimed at the artists is particularly grave, especially as many of the members are still minors. Accordingly, we have strongly emphasized the gravity of these matters to the investigative authorities and requested thorough investigations and strict punishment under our zero-tolerance policy, without settlement or leniency.
In addition, with the cooperation of Weverse, we have imposed usage restrictions on accounts that have posted content infringing upon the artists’ rights within the CORTIS Weverse community. We are also promptly reporting and requesting the removal of malicious content identified on various other platforms whenever possible.
2. Investigation Into Accounts Illegally Distributing Flight Information
As previously announced in the notice titled “[NOTICE] Fostering a Healthy Culture at CORTIS Concerts and Maintaining Order at Airports,” investigations are currently underway following the submission of criminal complaints in May against multiple heavy-uploading accounts that illegally sold the artists’ flight information through social media and other online channels.
Both the sale and purchase of artists’ flight information constitute violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, the Information and Communications Network Act, and other applicable laws. We will continue to actively cooperate with law enforcement authorities and maintain ongoing monitoring efforts to eradicate the illegal distribution of such information. We ask COER to refrain from buying or selling any personal information relating to the artists, including flight information.
3. Strong Response to Privacy Violations and Fan Etiquette Violations
We are also actively responding to conduct that infringes upon the artists’ privacy or threatens their safety. Recently, we identified numerous instances of privacy violations and fan etiquette violations and have taken measures including police reports, verbal warnings, and the deletion of unauthorized recordings.
● Unauthorized entry into or loitering around private spaces such as the artists’ residence parking facilities, causing distress and anxiety to the artists
● Participating in events attended by the artists as staff members or affiliated personnel in order to approach the artists for personal purposes or attempt private conversations
● Regarding the conduct of visiting artists at undisclosed activities not officially announced and/or following artists’ movements during their personal schedules
● Taking unauthorized photographs of the artists from close proximity while they were sleeping or resting in airport lounges or on aircraft or persistently following the artistsRecently in the course of our artists carrying out scheduled activities in Paris, we were forced to issue warnings against egregious and unlawful conduct by fans, including attaching small GPS devices to vehicles transporting artists and using information from vehicles and drivers to track artist movements during their undisclosed and personal itinerary.
There have also been instances where individuals—who have already been restricted from participating in fan events due to etiquette violations—have continued to harass artists by standing by inside hotels stayed by artists and loitering near artists’ seats during flights despite their seats being located in another area of the aircraft. As all such conduct violates fan etiquette, we have intervened and issued warnings to the applicable individuals.
Please note that, if fan etiquette violators engage in verbal abuse, physical assault, or other harmful conduct toward on-site security or operations personnel that are intervening and warning against unpermitted fan behavior, or misrepresent and spread false information regarding our legitimate actions for artist protection, we will actively take responsive measures by reviewing all available legal remedies.
We place the highest priority on the safety and privacy of the members of CORTIS and will continue to respond strictly to fan etiquette violations of this nature. We ask for COER’s cooperation in fostering a mature and respectful fandom culture.
If you discover any conduct that infringes upon CORTIS’s rights, please report it through the “HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Website.” When submitting a report, we kindly ask that you include a full PC screen capture or a PDF file clearly showing the URL, username, post content, and date, as this will greatly assist us in pursuing legal procedures.
BIGHIT MUSIC will continue to do its utmost to protect our artists’ rights so that the members of CORTIS can safely and healthily carry out their upcoming tour and various future activities.
Thank you.
TWS
Hello.
This is PLEDIS Entertainment.In order to protect the rights and interests of our artist TWS, we have been closely monitoring malicious posts concerning the artists, including insults, malicious slander, the dissemination of false information, and defamation, across various online platforms, and we have continued to take strict legal action against the authors of such posts.
1. Outcome of Criminal Cases Related to Malicious Posts
We have filed criminal complaints against multiple individuals who posted malicious content on charges including insult, and recently, two suspects received deferred prosecution decisions from the prosecution, accompanied by a mandatory educational program aimed at preventing reoffending. For other cases that are still under investigation or for which decisions have not yet been finalized, we will continue to work closely with investigative authorities and respond strictly so that all perpetrators of illegal acts receive appropriate punishment.2. Outcome of Proceedings Relating to Unauthorized Entry at an Event Venue
Last year, we filed a criminal complaint against an individual who repeatedly trespassed at an event attended by the artists and engaged in illegal filming. We would like to inform you that a criminal fine imposed on the suspect has recently become final.
Such conduct constitutes an invasion of privacy that seriously threatens the artists’ safety and daily lives and is a criminal offense punishable under law. We fully recognize the seriousness of these acts and once again make clear that we will hold those responsible legally accountable under a zero-tolerance policy, without any settlement or leniency.3. Acts Infringing Upon the Artists’ Privacy
Recently, there have been continued instances of individuals visiting areas near the artists’ residence, illegally obtaining the artists’ personal contact information and repeatedly attempting to contact them, and visiting locations where the artists are scheduled to appear without authorization.
Such conduct constitutes a violation of the artists’ privacy and causes severe fear and psychological distress, and it is a criminal act that may be subject to punishment under relevant laws.
We recognize the seriousness of such behavior and make it clear that we will take strong action without any settlement or leniency.4. Ongoing Monitoring and Reporting
We are using our real-time internal monitoring system to continuously collect and preserve evidence of malicious posts and comments that infringe upon the artists’ rights across all domestic and international channels, including social media platforms (X, Instagram, YouTube, Threads, etc.), domestic online communities and portals (DC Inside, TheQoo, Instiz, Weverse, Naver, Daum, Nate, Ilbe, FMKorea, etc.), and music platforms (Melon, Bugs Music, etc.), and we are proceeding with legal action accordingly.Defamation of the artists, malicious dissemination of false information (including all forms of insults or false information using derogatory names or initials), derogatory expressions regarding the artists’ appearance or nationality, mocking or hateful expressions, sexual objectification, and invasion of privacy are all clear criminal acts that may be subject to severe punishment under relevant laws.
If you encounter any illegal posts or content infringing upon our artists’ rights, please actively report them through the “HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Website.” When submitting a report, we kindly ask that you include a full PC screen capture or a PDF file clearly showing the URL, poster information, post content, and date, as this will greatly assist us in pursuing legal procedures.
We sincerely thank all 42 for your continued support of TWS. We will continue to ensure that our artists can carry out their activities in a healthy and safe environment, while doing our utmost to eradicate illegal acts that infringe upon their rights and interests.
Thank you.
LE SSERAFIM
Hello.
This is SOURCE MUSIC.To protect the rights and interests of our artist LE SSERAFIM, we operate an internal monitoring system and continue to take legal action against malicious posts targeting our artists based on both our own monitoring efforts and valuable reports submitted by fans.
We continuously review internally collected monitoring data and actively investigate reports from fans. Legal proceedings are being pursued on an ongoing basis against individuals who have posted content that constitutes defamation, the spread of false information, insults, sexual harassment, and other unlawful acts directed at the artists. We sincerely thank FEARNOT for taking the time to support and protect our artists.
1. Update on Major Legal Complaints and Outcomes
We would like to provide an update regarding several previously filed complaints. Legal action has been taken against individuals who posted defamatory content and false information on major online communities, including DC Inside, Ilbe, and FMKorea. Many of these cases are currently under investigation. In particular, individuals who posted insulting content about the artists on Ilbe and those charged with similar offenses on FMKorea have received deferred prosecution decisions contingent upon the completion of educational programs. Additionally, an individual who posted insulting and obscene content on DC Inside has been summarily indicted. We will continue to uphold our strict zero-tolerance policy and pursue legal accountability to the fullest extent of the law, without settlements or leniency, even in cases that remain under investigation.2. Response to Deepfake Sexual Crimes
We are taking a firm stance against deepfake-related sexual crimes targeting our artists. In connection with cases involving violations of laws protecting children and adolescents from sexual exploitation, including the production of sexually exploitative deepfake content related to the artists, we recently submitted a formal statement to the authorities emphasizing that we have no intention of reaching settlements and that we seek the strongest penalties available under the law in order to support the artists’ recovery and help eradicate such crimes.3. Legal Action Against Malicious Online Content, Including “Cyber Wreckers”
We have filed a civil lawsuit for damages against so-called “cyber wreckers” who have continuously spread false rumors about the artists on YouTube for profit.Related posts:
