Investigation into BTS Chart Manipulation Allegations Underway
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The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is verifying facts before launching a full-scale investigation into allegations of chart manipulation involving BTS.

On the 23rd, at the 'International Cultural Policy Promotion Strategy' announcement held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, a representative from the MCST stated, "The Content Promotion Center is currently investigating the chart manipulation allegations against HYBE. Once the investigation reaches a certain level of completion, we plan to announce our findings or make an official statement."

This statement followed Minister Yu In-chon's remarks at the event, where he expressed concerns over the ongoing HYBE-ADOR management dispute, saying, "It is very worrying and disappointing. Arguing over who is right is ultimately pouring cold water on the K-pop industry."

A representative from the Content Promotion Center also confirmed to Ilgan Sports, "We are verifying the facts of the complaint, and subsequent procedures will follow based on the verification results."

The BTS chart manipulation allegations surfaced amidst various disputes between HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. The allegations stemmed from a 2017 court ruling on a blackmail case against BTS's agency. Earlier this month, a complaint requesting an investigation into these allegations was filed with the Content Promotion Center’s chart manipulation reporting center under the MCST.

In response to the controversy, BTS's agency Big Hit Music issued a statement on the fan communication platform Weverse, saying, "We clearly state that recent rumors about chart manipulation, concept plagiarism, Danworld connections, and cult allegations are not true," indicating a strong stance against spreading false information.

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