BTS impersonator sentenced to prison for stealing unreleased music and sensitive information

A 20-year-old impersonator, posing as BTS members Suga and V, faced legal consequences after being sentenced to prison for stealing unreleased music and military service-related information. The Seoul Central District Court upheld the verdict, emphasising the significant intangible damages and lack of agreement between the involved parties.

On May 16, K-media Newsis reported that a man in his 20s, identified as Mr A, had been sentenced to prison by the appeals court for impersonating members of the globally renowned idol group BTS. The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeal Division 5-2 upheld the initial verdict, handing Mr A a one-year prison sentence for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilisation and Information Protection.

Mr A's offenses were extensive. He posed as BTS member Suga to obtain unreleased music from producers and impersonated other members of the group to gather sensitive information such as album release details and military service-related data. Additionally, he masqueraded as BTS' V to illicitly acquire over ten unreleased guide sound files from various producers.

The court highlighted the significant financial and social harm Mr A's actions could have caused to BTS members and their agency. He was charged with illegally obtaining undisclosed information regarding album releases, unreleased music, and personal schedules of agency artists. Despite attempts to mitigate his sentence by showing remorse and family support, the court found the intangible damages inflicted by Mr A's actions too severe to overlook. Notably, Mr A, known as a music producer, had previously contributed to the production of songs for other idol groups.