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BTS faced a privacy breach and an attack on their intellectual property rights when a perpetrator was apprehended in January 2024 for stealing the members' music demos from various music producers by impersonating Suga and Taehyung. The accused (Mr. A)—whose identity remains anonymous—was prosecuted following allegations that he reportedly impersonated members of BTS and illegally obtained private material including details of military service and unreleased songs.
In the previous trial in January 2024, the offender was given a prison term. He then appealed the decision that had condemned him to a year in jail.
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On May 16, the initial verdict—which sentenced Mr. A (29) to one year in jail for breaching the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection—was asserted by the Criminal Appeal Department 5-2 of the Seoul Central District Court.
Impersonator reportedly sentenced to a longer prison sentence for stealing identities and private details of BTS members
On May 16, NEWSIS reported that the Seoul Central District Court gave a verdict stating that the offender's (Mr. A) acts caused too much intangible adverse impact to disregard. Although the accused made an effort to lessen his sentence by expressing regret and promising to reflect on his deeds, the court ruled against his pleas.
According to SPOTV News, the first trial court used the potential psychological, financial, and reputational harm to BTS members and their management company as justification for its ruling. The Court of Appeal denied challenges from both Mr. A and the prosecution, and affirmed the initial decision, emphasizing the victims' severe intangible loss and the difficulty in fully correcting the damages suffered.
In January 2024, reports of the offender (Mr. A) purportedly using his cell phone to masquerade as a member of BTS Suga and Taehyung surfaced online. The accused texted several other music producers and requested them to share private information on unreleased songs by other band members. He also asked for confidential information about the members' military enlistment.
The accused was also charged with obstructing business by unlawfully obtaining information on album releases, music that had not yet been released, and the private schedules of musicians.
For those unaware, a demo is an unfinished version of a song that provides listeners with a sneak peek at the final mix. A reduced version of a song called a guide track is used to assist musicians as they record their takes while playing along with the song.
South Korean media outlet SPOTV News reported in January 2024 that the court was informed that in August and September of 2022, a music producer gave Mr. A an unpublished guide recording. The offender acquired the material by impersonating BTS member Min Yoongi, also known as Suga.
Later, he allegedly assumed the identity of the particular music producer in order to obtain information from Suga about plans for the unreleased music and his military service details.
Furthermore, Mr. A obtained over 10 previously unpublished guide music files from other sources while posing as Kim Taehyung, popularly known as V, another member of BTS.
For the uninitiated, criminal proceedings in South Korea have two hearings in the appeals procedure. An appeal against the verdict of the trial court is made in the first instance to an appellate court.
An appeal of the appellate court's ruling to the Supreme Court is known as a second appeal. Notably, it is not permissible to appeal against the specific requests of the defendant or their legal representatives.
After appealing the court's previous verdict, Mr. A was found guilty of various charges as identity theft, false personification, obstructing business, fraud, and more. Moreover, SPOTV News reported that several speculations of the accused being a former musician surfaced online as well during his trial, but the veracity of the information couldn't be determined.
This is not the first time that BTS members have been targeted and their safety has been violated. Earlier, BTS' Kim Namjoon train ticket details, including his residence, phone number, and other details, were obtained by Korail employees more than 18 times between 2019 and 2023.
Then in May 2023, India TV News reported that Kim Seokjin aka Jin was given an unauthorized vaccination inside the South Korean military base by a mysterious female nurse for haemorrhagic fever. Reportedly, the singer was unwell due to a high fever and had gone to see the military doctor where the nurse injected him with the vaccine without any supervision or authorization.
As a result, the global singer was in extreme pain due to the unapproved vaccination. The nurse was charged with illegal distribution of Tylenol in the 5th Division where Jin was deployed.
BTS members Kim Taehyung, Min Yoongi, Kim Namjoon, Park Jimin, and Jeon Jungkook are serving in the military and will return in June 2025. Meanwhile, band member Kim Seokjin is set to return after his military discharge on June 12, 2024, followed by J-Hope's return in October 2024.
