Through a released statement, Big Hit Entertainment reveals to have filing complaints at a Seoul, South Korea police station due to their zero tolerance against insults against their artists.
- Aug 28, 2019
AceShowbiz - Bosses at BTS (Bangtan Boys)' record label Big Hit Entertainment have reported social media users to South Korean police over comments made about the band.
Executives at the entertainment firm, who manage the boyband's careers, revealed they have been monitoring negative comments made about the K-pop group and are taking legal action against those they believe to be defamatory.
In a statement to Billboard magazine, company chiefs revealed they had filed complaints of defamation and criminal insult at a Seoul, South Korea police station against users whose comments , "exceed the reasonable and accepted boundaries of expression and personal commentary."
They added, "We have responded with zero tolerance against insults and defamation against our artists, and our stance will remain unchanged as long as these acts occur. We emphasize that there is, and will be, no leniency or settlement with the perpetrators of these acts."
BTS' managers did not go into further details about the nature of the post, but have sued in the past over claims they have bulk-bought the group's albums to inflate the group's chart position.
They claimed they had obtained evidence from their own "monitoring initiatives" but also urged fans to report "malicious" posts to a hotline.
Big Hit bosses claimed South Korean authorities have "launched investigations against the perpetrations based on this evidence."
South Korea's defamation laws are more stringent than U.K. or U.S. rules, as even true statements can result in criminal charges if found to be insulting or malicious.
BTS have enjoyed global success over the past two years, and were the first ever winners in the K-pop category at the MTV Video Music Awards on Monday (August 26).
