LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 10: South Korean boy band BTS backstage during the 61st Annual GRAMMY … [+] Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Getty Images for The Recording AcademyBTS is one of the most famous bands in the world, and whenever a person or group reaches superstar-levels of popularity, there are bound to be some downsides. These negative consequences of success are unavoidable, but the musicians themselves and their teams don’t have to accept the horrible parts associated with topping the charts without a fight.
Big Hit Music, the company behind BTS and many other K-pop favorites, is taking a stand against fans who behave inappropriately toward their artists—and the firm isn’t mincing its words.
The record label recently released a statement on social media platform Weverse that it won’t stand for crazed fans—known as sasaengs in the K-pop field—any longer. Of course, Big Hit Music hasn’t been letting illegal actions slide, but with its latest message, it is obvious that the problem is ongoing, and the label is stepping up the rhetoric.
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“Our company regularly initiates legal proceedings against perpetrators of malicious activities related to BTS,” the message began, which was posted to the septet’s Weverse page. From there, the company got specific, saying, “During this quarter, we filed multiple criminal complaints with law enforcement agencies based on evidence related to acts infringing on the rights of the artists.”
Big Hit Music continued with sharing details, commenting that “we gathered ongoing evidence regarding individuals who repeatedly sent mail and packages to the artists’ residences, even causing harm to the artists’ families, and filed criminal complaints against them on charges of violating laws regarding stalking crimes.” The label explains that it went after several fans, even after a case was seemingly over, and sought justice, including legal penalties.
While Big Hit Music did state that the label is “always grateful for the affection and dedication shown by the fans of BTS,” it also made it known that “Our company is committed to ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal activities against our artists, even if it takes time. We will continue to adhere to strict measures and our policy of no settlement and no leniency to hold suspects accountable.”
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For years now, as K-pop becomes more and more popular, the biggest bands in the space, as well as the individual members and even those connected to them in some tangential manner, have all had to deal with over-excited fans. Sometimes these people harass the artists and their teams online, but too often it extends beyond social media.
Sasaengs have been accused of everything from stalking to sexual harassment. Labels like Big Hit Music have pursued legal action against some of these followers, and it seems that the company is not letting up on this course of action.
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