On March 31, 2025, allegations surfaced from a former employee of YG Entertainment, claiming that the company had recruited individuals to spread disparaging content aimed at damaging BTS’s reputation. This whistleblower purportedly holds a massive amount of confidential data, estimated in terabytes, which includes unreleased materials from seven different entertainment companies.
The shared information allegedly targets top organizations in the K-pop industry, commonly referred to as the “BIG3”: YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. Other implicated companies include HYBE, CUBE Entertainment, Blockberry, and RWB.
Identifying themselves on Discord as @YG Leaker, the individual expressed a personal dislike for BTS, revealing their allegiance to BLACKPINK instead. The leaker contended that YG Entertainment had carelessly stored sensitive information on servers accessible to employees, which ultimately led to their dismissal. Consequently, they decided to disclose the data online.
Additionally, the leaker hinted at a potential shift in BTS’s comeback schedule, suggesting that they would return in 2026 rather than the anticipated 2025. An audio clip of an unidentified song, allegedly recorded in 2012 by a BTS member, was also shared, but it was swiftly deleted by the leaker, leaving fans in suspense.
The K-pop community reacted strongly to the scandal, particularly fans supporting BTS, known as ARMY. Many were quick to point out that it was suspicious for a leaker who openly admitted to hating BTS to present such claims. One fan on X remarked:
“Lmao, not BTS!!!! You mean to say that YG only hires employees to hate BTS? BTS’ success really triggered the whole country, huh.”
As the conversation spread, fan concerns about the validity of the claims amplified:
“The only thing that has been leaked about BTS is a decade-old demo but it was not sung by them. Also, the leaker likes every other group except BTS, so if there was anything, BTS would’ve been first. I think we can lay back now. But remember the portal is always there for use,”a fan wrote.
“It doesn’t matter; we don’t take chances. Report that page to oblivion,”another fan stated.
“I don’t understand how they have data from groups of different companies if they’re doing this out of spite for getting fired,”one fan questioned.
Many fans expressed skepticism regarding the leaker’s assertions:
“Isn’t it obvious that whenever an idol is in trouble, they use BTS? The things that have come out seem like invented stories from 2017,”a fan remarked.
“I think it’s a rejected demo + the account that posted the leaks on YouTube is getting sued because all the videos got erased from the channel that first posted the leaks,”another fan speculated.
“Why would anyone believe him in the first place? How do you know it’s true,”another fan questioned.
BIGHIT MUSIC Takes Action Against Malicious Activities
In a parallel development on the same day, BIGHIT MUSIC escalated its legal assault on individuals responsible for malicious activities targeting BTS. The agency revealed in a statement that it had launched several criminal complaints against those engaging in defamation, personal attacks, sexual harassment, and the propagation of false information.
According to the update shared via Weverse, BIGHIT MUSIC had successfully identified several offenders. Some faced fines, while others were subjected to prosecution. Notably, they pursued legal action against the YouTuber known as Sojang, also referred to as Taldeok Camp, claiming damages of 76 million won (approximately $51,630).
BIGHIT MUSIC declared:
“As you may have seen in the media, the first-instance court has ruled that Taldeok Camp, a so-called ‘cyber wrecker,’ is liable for damages amounting to 76 million won. Taldeok Camp has filed an appeal since, and we are actively responding in the appellate process.”
Furthermore, they continued:
“At the end of last year, a serious criminal act, including stalking, was committed against our artist, prompting an immediate action on our part. We filed a report to the police, and the perpetrator was caught red-handed, subsequently detained and prosecuted. Earlier this year, the court sentenced the perpetrator to a fine of 10 million won (approximately $6,800).”
In other news, currently, five of the seven BTS members are serving their mandatory military duties in South Korea. RM (Namjoon) and V (Taehyung) are set to be discharged on June 10, while Jimin and Jungkook will return a day later, on June 11, 2025. SUGA (Min Yoongi) is scheduled for discharge on June 21. Jin and j-hope completed their service in June and October of 2024, respectively; the latter is presently on his solo world tour, titled HOPE ON THE STAGE.