"Guilty Verdict"..BTS Takes Legal Action Against All Cyberbullies and Stalkers [Official][Full Text]

*This content was translated by AI.

BTS's agency has issued an official statement regarding legal actions against cyberbullies and stalkers.

On the afternoon of the 29th, Big Hit Music, BTS's agency, posted a notice titled "Notice on Legal Response Status Regarding Infringement of Artist Rights" on Weverse, BTS's fan communication platform.

They began by stating, "Our company is continuously pursuing legal action against illegal acts such as defamation, insult, sexual harassment, and malicious slander that infringe upon BTS's rights. As of the second quarter of 2026, we are providing an overview of the main legal response status."

Big Hit Music, which implements comprehensive monitoring and applies a "zero-tolerance principle" to malicious posts, stated, "Our company is collecting evidence of malicious posts about artists posted on major communities in real time through valuable reports from fans and our own monitoring system. Based on this, individuals who repeatedly posted baseless false facts about artists on online communities to slander the artists were found guilty of insult and defamation by citing false facts, and were given a suspended prosecution with a condition to complete education. Our company also filed lawsuits against authors of malicious posts related to BTS posted on domestic communities, portal sites, blogs, Daily Best, music sites, overseas SNS channels, Telegram, etc., during this quarter. We also inform you that additional continuous prosecution procedures were conducted beyond regular lawsuits."

They continued, "In particular, we are tracking malicious hate expressions that cunningly try to evade punishment behind anonymity and fake news that is organizedly incited, holding them legally accountable without exception. We are also tracking and responding to acts of leaking and distributing unreleased content. Even if posts are deleted after being written to erase traces, they are included in the prosecution targets without exception based on our real-time evidence collection system. We will take the maximum possible legal measures against all acts that cause mental distress to the artists, without any settlement or leniency."

They also announced, "Regarding the 'sentencing of guilty verdicts for trespassing at artists' residences and stalking crimes,' we share the trial results of the case announced in the first quarter (violation of the Stalking Punishment Act and charges of trespassing). An arrest warrant was issued against the defendant who entered the artist's residence and repeatedly committed stalking acts, and the defendant underwent criminal trial while being detained in a detention center for about three months. Recognizing the seriousness of the crime, the court sentenced the defendant to one year in prison, suspended for two years."

They further emphasized, "Our company adheres to a zero-tolerance principle without leniency toward malicious actors targeting artists. This applies equally to both Koreans and foreigners. If foreigners are criminally punished for trespassing and stalking crimes, the malicious actor will be forcibly deported to their home country, and a ban on entry into the Republic of Korea may be imposed. Behaviors such as loitering around an artist's residence, watching and waiting, or leaving gifts unilaterally are not simple expressions of interest but clear crimes."

Finally, Big Hit Music stated, "We inform you that our company will continue to take strong legal measures, including immediate police reports, against all illegal approaches made under the pretext of conveying personal feelings toward the artists. Our legal actions begin with active reports from fans who aim for a mature fan culture. If you discover illegal cases that infringe upon the artists' rights, please report them to the 'HYBE Artist Rights Infringement Report Site.' We sincerely thank you for your unwavering love for BTS. Our company will continue to implement artist protection measures and pursue more active responses in the future."

[Notice] Notice on Legal Response Status Regarding Infringement of Artist Rights

Hello.

This is Big Hit Music.

Our company is continuously pursuing legal action against illegal acts such as defamation, insult, sexual harassment, and malicious slander that infringe upon BTS's rights.

As of the second quarter of 2026, we are providing an overview of the main legal response status.

1. Comprehensive Monitoring and Application of Zero-Tolerance Principle for Malicious Posts

Our company is collecting evidence of malicious posts about artists posted on major communities in real time through valuable reports from fans and our own monitoring system. Based on this, individuals who repeatedly posted baseless false facts about artists on online communities to slander the artists were found guilty of insult and defamation by citing false facts, and were given a suspended prosecution with a condition to complete education.

Our company also filed lawsuits against authors of malicious posts related to BTS posted on domestic communities [Theqoo, Instiz, Naver, Daum (Women's Times, Jjupppang, Soul Dresser, etc.), Nate, Dimitor, multiple galleries within DC Inside including BTS, Male Celebrities, Domestic Entertainment Galleries, etc.], Daily Best, Mnet, etc., music sites (Melon, Bugs Music, Genie Music, etc.), and overseas SNS channels (Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, etc.) during this quarter. We also inform you that additional continuous prosecution procedures were conducted beyond regular lawsuits.

In particular, we are tracking malicious hate expressions that cunningly try to evade punishment behind anonymity and fake news that is organizedly incited, holding them legally accountable without exception. We are also tracking and responding to acts of leaking and distributing unreleased content. Even if posts are deleted after being written to erase traces, they are included in the prosecution targets without exception based on our real-time evidence collection system. We will take the maximum possible legal measures against all acts that cause mental distress to the artists, without any settlement or leniency.

2. Sentencing of Guilty Verdicts for Trespassing at Artists' Residences and Stalking Crimes

Regarding the artist privacy infringement crimes that fans were greatly concerned about, we share the trial results of the case announced in the first quarter (violation of the Stalking Punishment Act and charges of trespassing).

An arrest warrant was issued against the defendant who entered the artist's residence and repeatedly committed stalking acts, and the defendant underwent criminal trial while being detained in a detention center for about three months. Recognizing the seriousness of the crime, the court sentenced the defendant to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

Our company adheres to a zero-tolerance principle without leniency toward malicious actors targeting artists, and this applies equally to both Koreans and foreigners. If foreigners are criminally punished for trespassing and stalking crimes, the malicious actor will be forcibly deported to their home country, and a ban on entry into the Republic of Korea may be imposed.

Behaviors such as loitering around an artist's residence, watching and waiting, or leaving gifts unilaterally are not simple expressions of interest but clear crimes. We inform you that our company will continue to take strong legal measures, including immediate police reports, against all illegal approaches made under the pretext of conveying personal feelings toward the artists.

Our legal actions begin with active reports from fans who aim for a mature fan culture. If you discover illegal cases that infringe upon the artists' rights, please report them to the 'HYBE Artist Rights Infringement Report Site (https://protect.hybecorp.com).'

We sincerely thank you for your unwavering love for BTS.

Our company will continue to implement artist protection measures and pursue more active responses in the future.

Thank you.

Big Hit Music

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*This content was translated by AI.