Did BTS’s agency HYBE manipulate the group’s success? South Korean govt to investigate allegations of chart-rigging
BTS’s agency HYBE cannot catch a break! Amid the ongoing feud with Min Hee Jin, the CEO of its sub-label ADOR, the K-pop giant is now entangled in yet scandal — allegations of chart-rigging. According to a Korea JoongAng Daily, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched an investigation probe against the K-Pop giant to verify whether or not it has engaged in chart manipulation.
On Saturday, the culture ministry of South Korea announced that it had received a petition urging an investigation into the alleged chart rigging practices and subsequent blackmailing of the BTS agency back in 2017. The case will now be referred to the Korea Creative Content Agency (Kocca), a state-run institution responsible for overseeing various facets of popular culture in Korea. Kocca will conduct a comprehensive inquiry and seek a response from HYBE.
If the allegations are proven to be correct, BTS may lose all honours bestowed on them including the Order Of Culture Merit.
Where It All Began
According to some anonymous posts that have gone viral on Naver, HYBE was blackmailed in 2017 by an individual named Lee and three other accomplices for alleged use of “expedient marketing strategies” while promoting BTS’ album in 2015.
Lee was sentenced to a year of imprisonment, while the remaining three individuals received fines. The court cited «sajaegi marketing» in its verdict, stating that Lee had engaged in a "sajaegi marketing deal" with BigHit Entertainment and subsequently threatened the company on that basis.
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