BigHit Music Takes Legal Action Against Leaker of BTS' ARIRANG Album

BigHit Music Takes Legal Action Against Leaker of BTS' ARIRANG Album

BigHit Music, the record label of BTS, has taken legal action against an anonymous user who allegedly leaked songs, lyrics, and artwork from ARIRANG before the album's release. The user, known as @jwngkcck, posted parts of ARIRANG on X (formerly Twitter) in early March, disrupting the planned release of BTS' highly anticipated comeback album.

BigHit Music filed a court petition in the U.S. to uncover the identity of the user @jwngkcck. The label intends to pursue a civil lawsuit in South Korea for copyright and trade secret infringement, seeking financial damages for the leaked content. The leaked material impacted BTS' album release strategy, reputation, and sales negatively.

The alleged leaks were removed from the @jwngkcck X page after BigHit submitted copyright infringement reports to the platform. The user also changed their display name from "BTS ARIRANG LEAK." Both BigHit and X have not commented on the situation.

HYBE and its subsidiaries often seek assistance from U.S. courts to identify and take legal action against anonymous internet users in Korea. This approach is necessary as U.S.-based social media platforms can only respond to subpoenas issued by U.S. judges. These legal actions are typically related to defamation cases involving false rumors about K-pop groups.

ARIRANG, BTS' latest album, was released on March 20 and has maintained the top position on the Billboard 200 chart for three consecutive weeks. The album's lead single, "Swim," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to rank in the top 5. The legal proceedings aim to address the unauthorized leaks and protect the integrity of BTS' music releases.