[Exclusive] BTS Hoarding Scandal Transferred for Investigation; Complaint Filed for ‘Cancellation of Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Award’

A complaint requesting an investigation into the alleged music chart manipulation surrounding the group BTS has been transferred to a relevant agency, and an investigation is set to proceed. Additionally, another complaint was received requesting the cancellation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) award given to BTS.

The MCST, which received the complaint on the 2nd, plans to transfer it to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), which operates a platform for reporting music chart manipulation.

KOCCA intends to confirm the facts and then demand a response from Big Hit Music (HYBE), the agency implicated in the complaint. Depending on the situation, they plan to coordinate with investigative authorities via the MCST to closely examine the issue.

The allegations surrounding BTS emerged after a verdict was made public regarding an extortion case in January 2017.

The person who filed the complaint, Mr. A, stated, "Based on the content of the ruling, it can be inferred that illegal marketing could have occurred from September 23, 2016, when the amendment to the Music Industry Promotion Act, which regulates music chart manipulation, was enacted, to January 11, 2017, when the first email was received from the defendant. Because of the extortion, Big Hit Music eventually had to transfer a large sum of money."

Moreover, another complaint was filed on the 3rd of this month with the same institution, requesting the cancellation of the MCST Minister's award given to BTS in October 2016 for their contribution to the growth of the Korean Wave (Hallyu).

This complaint asserted, "The MCST should strictly select projects and individuals for ministerial commendations based on their achievements, conduct thorough preliminary reviews for eligibility, and, if necessary, involve private sector experts to ensure an objective and fair review process. However, since the allegations of music chart manipulation by BTS pose a significant threat to 'fair competition,' which is a fundamental principle of democracy and the rule of law, the MCST should promptly consider canceling the award following Article 8(1)(1) of the Order of Merit Act and Article 18(1) of the Government Commendation Regulation."

It is reported that the MCST, which received these complaints, is currently examining the facts of the matter.

Source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/144/0000959803

THE COMMENTS:

1. "I'm so embarrassed."
2. "I'm having a brain freeze."
3. "If it was a group that was going to be popular anyway, why didn't you start supporting them earlier and stream their music? If you had, there wouldn't have been a need for 'expedient marketing.'"
4. "Why did you do that? Seriously."
5. "Looking at how the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is involved, the conclusion seems obvious, haha. Why investigate something that's already been ruled on?"
6. "What's up with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism? Isn't this a war of promises? lol."
7. "This is really ridiculous."
8. "The butterfly effect is so significant that I don't even want to see Bang Si-hyuk, and now I feel the same about Min Hee-jin and New Jeans. How can Min Hee-jin still post on Instagram with New Jeans amidst all this chaos?"
9. "It's not just brain freeze. If it's hoarding, you should return it on your own, with a clear conscience."
10. "Oh my, they have nothing to do. The idol community is beyond imagination; what are they really doing, haha."
11. "This is a bit too much... People compare it to doping, but I’m not sure if that's accurate... There's a legal principle in criminal law about the non-retroactivity of criminal punishment, which means you can't punish someone for something that wasn't a crime at the time. So even if a group has a questionable agency, does it make sense to request an award cancellation for something that happened before the law changed? Especially if it wasn't awarded based on hoarding?"
12. "If they received a medal due to hoarding, it should be revoked. Even Produce 2019 idols faced criticism for benefiting from manipulation, so if you got a medal because of hoarding, you should return it. You have nothing to lose now, right?"
13. "When I saw the comment that said the group would've disappeared without hoarding, it left me in a daze."
14. "Thinking about it now, what if they had gotten exempted from military service? This situation is crazy. Even with the award debate, some ARMYs still have no shame."
15. "Even if other group fans make a fuss at this point, it'll be obvious."
16. "Comments are burning because people keep adding fuel."
17. "Don't think that it's okay to use expedients or illegalities as long as you succeed.
18. "What kind of brain freeze is this? This shouldn't have happened in the first place."
19. "The shields are really interesting. All sorts of nonsense comes out, haha."
20. "I'm taking a break, but it feels weird."
21. "Look at the shields; they don’t even have a separate cult, they’ve already enjoyed everything without regrets."
22. "The comment shields are a sight to behold. It's like watching a tearful butt show."
23. "This is the first time I've heard the term 'Akgae of other groups.' Are you all K-pop fans?"
24. "There doesn’t seem to be any butterfly effect or poetic justice, but Kongjwi always wins."
25. "It must have been a brain freeze; what was he doing?"
26. "The brain freeze is intense."
27. "It should be canceled. They have contributed greatly to creating a society where only those who use shortcuts and engage in corrupt practices succeed. Do these shielders also not criticize people who get into college through entrance exam corruption or hiring scandals?"
28. "Wow, these shielders are like devoted believers."
29. "It feels like they’re just telling me to die."
30. "What do you think when you shield this? Do you not know what hoarding is?"
31. "Hoarding should be considered a brain freeze; why else would it happen?"
32. "Hoarding is insane, haha. What a funny logic."
33. "Hive is so shameless."
34. "Fans shielding with ridiculous excuses is so entertaining."
35. "What do you mean, 'If you don’t want to get hurt, keep your mouth shut'? It’s not just the people here; there are outsiders too. If you did something wrong, they’re bound to ask questions. So if you don’t want to get hurt, you should keep your mouth shut?"
36. "It started getting popular at the same time it was hoarding. What is a brain freeze? Even if the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism investigates, it's obvious they won’t find anything.
37. "Scammer... Bringing disgrace to the nation..."
38. This comment has been deleted.
39. "In any case, you should return it."
40. "They enjoyed a lot before they got caught. I wish this kind of shady lineup culture would disappear."
41. "Ooh, interesting."
42. "Why do their fans keep grabbing by the hair, lol? At this rate, they’ll go bald."
43. "I used to be a fan, but I stopped because of real life; now I wonder what's going on, and it's kind of depressing."
44. "Please investigate not only BTS but also all other singers who used illegal practices!!!"
45. "The shielding is on another level; it's disgusting."
46. "I once asked, 'Why is BTS so popular?' and nobody could give me a straight answer. I finally got my answer, haha."
47. "Why are they investigating something that's already been concluded by the courts?"
48. "Seems like HYBE is getting their comeuppance; it's only fair."
49. "Things are escalating."
50. "I hope they investigate all male and female idols related to BTS."
51. "If you don’t want people to tell you to donate all your money to society, what’s with the brain freeze, haha?"
52. "Let's investigate HYBE completely."
53. "The court has already ruled; what can the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism do? Haha. They couldn’t even catch Shaun and Nilo."
54. "This is madness."
55. "Oh, has a complaint been filed? That could happen if their career started with hoarding."
56. "They're not criticizing BTS; they're pointing out the industry issues due to hoarding. Now that there's a ruling, it's coming out."
57. "This isn't an attack article; it's just reporting that an investigation has been requested."
58. "Scammers trying to overreach into the judiciary."
59. "The brain freeze is insane."
60. "If it's true that they gained from hoarding, then returning the medal is only fair. It's not like they're asking for all their money, just that the recognition gained through chart manipulation is invalid."
61. "If they gained unfairly through shortcuts while receiving the medal, then returning it is fair. But why is the 2017 ruling just now coming up? Why didn't anyone know about this? It's been a while."
62. "Go for a thorough investigation."
63. "If they gained success through illegal means, it’s only fair to return it. And why is the 2017 ruling just now being publicized? How come nobody knew until now?"
64. "HYBE’s karma, time to pay it off. There’s nothing to feel wronged about."
65. "This is escalating."
66. "I hope they investigate all male and female idols related to BTS."
67. "It’s not like anyone is asking you to donate all your money to society. So what’s with the brain freeze?"
68. "Return the medal, simple as that."
69. "I would be ashamed if my idols were caught like this."
70. "The fans defending this are at another level, disgusting."
71. "What’s with the brain freeze? Think about why you got caught."
72. "Just return it."
73. "The brain freeze is intense."
74. "Seems like BTS fans are having a hard time now."
75. "The same people who got mad over TV captions calling for cancelation of awards, haha."
76. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism couldn’t catch hoarding before; what can they do now?"
77. "Self-inflicted."
78. "Reap what you sow."
79. "Why did you do something wrong in the first place? Sigh."
80. "I would be terrified if my idols behaved like this."
81. "Let's go for a thorough investigation."
82. "It’s karma."
83. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s investigation is pointless; they never could catch hoarding."
84. "Just return it."
85. "It’s ridiculous for the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to investigate when they couldn’t catch hoarding before. What more can they do? It’s absurd."
86. "It’s karma."
87. "Just return it."
88. "You reap what you sow."
89. 
    
90. "It feels like the fans have lost their minds; it's sad. They’re desperately denying it. They should just accept it, quit being a fan, or acknowledge that their favorite band was involved in hoarding."
91. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can’t investigate properly."
92. "If it's not true, they should come out with a lawyer and clear their name. But who would do that? It could ruin their career, haha. What do they mean by 'brain freeze'? What if journalists asked the judge who wrote the ruling?"
93. "It's super embarrassing; I bet some fans are feeling really disillusioned..."
94. "The person who filed the complaint must be an idiot; the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is useless at investigating. What were they thinking, haha? They'll just make things worse by failing to find anything."
95. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency don't have investigative authority, so they’ll probably just go through the motions and be done with it, haha. They just need to respond to the complaint somehow."
96. "The greed unleashed by Bang Si-hyuk."
97. "Doping athletes also worked hard, but if they used doping, they lose their medals. Why shouldn’t the same rule apply to this honor?"
98. "Seems like people are desperate to turn things around, blaming other groups, haha."
99. "Seems like HYBE is occupied with taking shares from ADOR; they don’t seem interested in addressing this scandal."
100. "Totally disappointing."
101. "If BTS members sued HYBE to cancel their contracts, that could be a disaster for the company. Although I doubt it would happen."
102. "The court has already ruled; what can the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism do, haha? They couldn't even catch Shaun and Nilo."
103. "This issue was already ruled on by the court; why would the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism investigate? It's ridiculous."
104. "The court already ruled, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; why investigate?"
105. "If they gained through hoarding, they should return their honor. It’s not even like they lost anything."
106. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism was pushing to keep BTS from going to the military; they're not likely to investigate thoroughly, haha."
107. "This scandal might be hard for fans to take, but it’s reality."
108. "People need to investigate this fully."
109. "They should just return it."
110. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's investigation seems useless."
111. "Just return it."
112. "The court has already ruled on this; why is the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism investigating? This is absurd."
113. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism doesn't have investigative authority; why would they investigate?"
114. "It's just return it."
115. "Why did they even do it in the first place?"
116. "I hope they investigate this thoroughly."
117. "Why would the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism investigate when the court already ruled? It's absurd."
118. "Just return it."
119. "Take responsibility."
120. "It's only right to return it."
121. "HYBE's karma."
122. "This is getting out of hand."
123. "What’s the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role in this? They couldn’t even handle previous hoarding scandals."
124. "Seriously, what's the point of investigating? They couldn't catch previous hoarding."
125. "Disappointment."
126. "If you did something wrong, it’s only fair to return it."
127. "Let’s investigate thoroughly."
128. "Why keep it when you don't deserve it?"
129. "You reap what you sow."
130. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role is absurd."
131. "If they don't return it, it’s only going to fuel more shielding."
132. "They go nuts over a single caption on a TV show, and then they call this brain freeze? Crazy."
133. "It seems like the whole thing was just to cover up wrongdoing."
134. "If they gained through unfair means, they should lose their honor."
135. "They should revoke the honor; it's only fair."
136. "If it wasn't for the military, this could’ve gone down a very dark path."
137. "BTS going to the military was a godsend."
138. "This is a crazy scandal."
139. "Fans should just accept it and move on."
140. "Even the court ruled against them; what more do you need?"
141. "If they gained through shortcuts, they should lose their honors."
142. "What’s the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role here? They’re not an investigative agency."
143. "It seems absurd for the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to investigate when the court has already ruled."
144. "Even the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; the court has already ruled."
145. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't investigate; they don't have authority."
146. "They should just return it."
147. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; they don't have investigative authority."
148. "What can the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism do? They’re not an investigative agency."
149. "Even if they do investigate, it won’t change much."
150. "Please investigate the whole industry."
151. "It’s only fair to return it."
152. "Just return it."
153. "It’s only right to revoke it."
154. "They should investigate all hoarding cases."
155. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role here seems absurd."
156. "The whole scandal seems absurd."
157. "They should investigate thoroughly."
158. "Even if they do investigate, it might just be for show."
159. "It seems like everything should be returned."
160. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism should just not bother."
161. "They can’t investigate; they don't have the authority."
162. "The scandal is getting out of hand."
163. "They should just return it."
164. "They reap what they sow."
165. "Why would they investigate when the court already ruled?"
166. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; they have no investigative authority."
167. "Just return it."
168. "It’s their karma."
169. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; they have no investigative authority."
170. "The whole situation is absurd."
171. "Just return it."
172. "It’s only fair to return it."
173. "It seems absurd for the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to investigate when the court already ruled."
174. "What’s the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role here? They couldn’t even handle previous hoarding scandals."
175. "They can't investigate; they're not an investigative agency."
176. "They should just return it."
177. "Even if the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism investigates, it won't change much."
178. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role is absurd."
179. "The whole scandal is ridiculous."
180. "Just return it."
181. "They should investigate thoroughly."
182. "Everything is falling apart."
183. "It seems like they just have to return it."
184. "The whole scandal is absurd."
185. "They should return it."
186. "The whole thing is ridiculous."
187. "They should just return it."
188. "They should investigate thoroughly."
189. "They reap what they sow."
190. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's role here seems absurd."
191. "The whole scandal is ridiculous."
192. "Even if they do investigate, it might not change much."
193. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; they don't have investigative authority."
194. "The scandal is getting out of hand."
195. "The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism can't do much; they don't have investigative authority."
196. "They can't investigate; they're not an investigative agency."
197. "They should just return it.

ORIGINAL POST HERE