BIGHIT MUSIC has filed criminal complaints over online abuse and the illegal sale of personal data targeting K-pop group CORTIS, and issued warnings to fans over privacy violations including the use of GPS tracking devices.
The HYBE label said fans had attached small GPS devices to vehicles carrying the group’s members during a recent trip to Paris and used vehicle and driver information to track their movements, while separate criminal investigations are under way into accounts that illegally sold the members’ flight information.
BIGHIT MUSIC set out its latest measures in a notice posted to fan platform Weverse on Monday (June 29).
On privacy violations, BIGHIT MUSIC said it had identified “numerous instances” of misconduct and had responded with police reports, verbal warnings, and the deletion of unauthorized recordings.
“Recently in the course of our artists carrying out scheduled activities in Paris, we were forced to issue warnings against egregious and unlawful conduct by fans, including, attaching small GPS devices to vehicles transporting artists, and using information from vehicles and drivers to track artist movements during their undisclosed and personal itinerary,” BIGHIT MUSIC said.
Other incidents involving CORTIS members included unauthorized entry into the artists’ residence parking facilities, individuals approaching the artists by posing as staff, fans turning up at undisclosed schedules, and close-range photography of the artists while they slept or rested in airport lounges and on planes.
“RECENTLY IN THE COURSE OF OUR ARTISTS CARRYING OUT SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES IN PARIS, WE WERE FORCED TO ISSUE WARNINGS AGAINST EGREGIOUS AND UNLAWFUL CONDUCT BY FANS, INCLUDING, ATTACHING SMALL GPS DEVICES TO VEHICLES TRANSPORTING ARTISTS.”
BIGHIT MUSIC
BIGHIT MUSIC added that individuals who had previously been restricted from fan events for etiquette violations had “continued to harass artists by standing by inside hotels stayed by artists, and loitering near artists’ seats during flights despite their seats being located in another area of the aircraft.”
“If fan etiquette violators engage in verbal abuse, physical assault, or other harmful conduct towards on-site security or operations personnel […] or misrepresent and spread false information regarding our legitimate actions for artist protection, we will actively take responsive measures by reviewing all available legal remedies,” BIGHIT MUSIC said.
On malicious posts, BIGHIT MUSIC said its complaints covered insults, the spread of false information, and content that “manipulates the artists’ images in a manner that infringes upon their dignity and causes sexual humiliation.”
“The illicit creation and circulation of harmful content aimed at the artists is particularly grave, especially as many of the members are still minors,” BIGHIT MUSIC said.
“Accordingly, we have strongly emphasized the gravity of these matters to the investigative authorities and requested thorough investigations and strict punishment under our zero-tolerance policy, without settlement or leniency,” the HYBE label added.
“THE ILLICIT CREATION AND CIRCULATION OF HARMFUL CONTENT AIMED AT THE ARTISTS IS PARTICULARLY GRAVE, ESPECIALLY AS MANY OF THE MEMBERS ARE STILL MINORS.”
BIGHIT MUSIC
The label said it had also imposed usage restrictions, with the cooperation of Weverse, on accounts that had posted content infringing on the artists’ rights.
BIGHIT MUSIC said investigations were under way following criminal complaints filed in May against accounts that had illegally sold the members’ flight information through social media.
“Both the sale and purchase of artists’ flight information constitute violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, the Information and Communications Network Act, and other applicable laws,” the label said.
It urged the group’s fanbase, known as COER, not to buy or sell the artists’ personal information, and pointed fans to HYBE‘s artist-rights reporting site at protect.hybecorp.com.
CORTIS is a five-member group under BIGHIT MUSIC, the HYBE label that is also home to BTS.
The group debuted in August 2025 – BIGHIT MUSIC’s first new boy group in six years – with a lineup of James, Juhoon, Martin, Seonghyeon and Keonho.
The group’s debut EP, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, has since surpassed 2 million copies in cumulative sales, a figure HYBE says is the highest for a debut album by a K-pop group, according to the company’s Q1 2026 earnings.
The complaints follow the “zero-tolerance and no-settlement policy” HYBE has applied to crimes against its artists, a stance the company set out last year when eight people were arrested in South Korea over deepfake content depicting its acts.
“BIGHIT MUSIC will continue to do its utmost to protect our artists’ rights so that the members of CORTIS can safely and healthily carry out their upcoming tour and various future activities,” the label said.Music Business Worldwide
