Amid escalating conflicts between HYBE and ADOR’s representative Min Hee Jin, BTS is now confronting unfounded online allegations linking them to cult activities. Big Hit Music, representing BTS, has announced plans to take legal action, addressing these claims head-on.
Big Hit shared on the fan community platform Weverse, “It has come to our attention that organizational efforts aimed at tarnishing and slandering the artists have escalated in recent weeks. Furthermore, malicious attempts to defame, humiliate, and ridicule the artists or spread rumors and groundless information have become excessive.”
The company further warned, “The company views these actions as a severe violation of the artists’ rights and will respond decisively, engaging with another law firm to reinforce our existing legal measures. We are collecting evidence of malicious postings through real-time monitoring as we speak. We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy and pursue this matter rigorously, without leniency or settlements.”
The allegations arose following an accusation by Min Hee Jin during a press conference on the 25th, hinting at threats from HYBE executives over content in NewJeans’ “OMG” music video. Netizens argued that the video includes critical content about the meditating group Dahnworld, often criticized as a cult. They noted the frequent appearance of a bear—a symbol associated with Dahnworld—and references to Sindorim station, where Dahnworld is located.
This has led to speculation about BTS’s association with Dahnworld, exacerbated by the fact that all members except Jin have graduated from Global Cyber University, founded by Lee Seung Heun, known as the creator of Dahnworld.
In addition, there have been rekindled accusations of chart manipulation related to BTS from a legal case dating back to 2017, where an individual sentenced to prison claimed to have been coerced into illegal music chart manipulation.
Big Hit Music has previously denied these allegations, stating two years ago, “The individual, A, was briefly contracted for marketing and promotional services, which did not yield significant results and was concluded as a one-time project. Following this, early in 2017, A threatened to expose ‘inappropriate marketing practices’ unless compensated, prompting immediate legal action from our side.”
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