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Hallyuwood
BIGHIT MUSIC files criminal complaints over malicious content targeting K-pop boy band Cortis
BIGHIT MUSIC files criminal complaints over malicious content targeting K-pop boy band Cortis
Korean entertainment agency BIGHIT MUSIC has filed criminal complaints against individuals responsible for posting malicious and harmful content targeting the members of K-pop boy band Cortis.
In a statement, the agency said it initiated legal action based on its own monitoring efforts and reports submitted by Coer, the official fandom of Cortis, as part of its commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of its artists.
According to BIGHIT MUSIC, it identified posts and comments violating the artists' rights across various online platforms, including major internet communities, portal sites, social media accounts, and music streaming services.
The agency said the malicious content included defamatory remarks and insults directed at the members, the spread of false information about the group and the commercial performance of its albums and music releases, as well as manipulated images that infringed on the artists' dignity and subjected them to sexual humiliation.
BIGHIT MUSIC emphasized that the situation is particularly serious because most of the group's members are minors. Seonghyeon and Keonho are both 17 years old, while Juhoon and Martin are 18. James, the eldest member, is 20.
The agency said it has requested authorities to seek the maximum penalties against the perpetrators without settlement or leniency.
It also imposed restrictions on Weverse accounts belonging to individuals who posted content infringing on the rights of Cortis members within the group's fan community.
In addition, investigations are underway into individuals who allegedly sold the group's flight information through social media and other online platforms.
BIGHIT MUSIC also reminded fans that it will continue taking action against violations of the members' privacy and conduct that threatens their safety. Such actions include unauthorized entry into or loitering around private areas, including the parking facilities of the artists' residences; attending events as staff members or affiliated personnel to gain unauthorized access to the artists or initiate private conversations; visiting undisclosed schedules and following the artists during their personal activities; and taking unauthorized photographs of the members from close range while they were sleeping or resting in airport lounges or on aircraft, as well as persistently following them.
The agency further revealed that while Cortis was in Paris, it warned individuals who attached GPS tracking devices to vehicles transporting the group and used the information to monitor the members' movements.
It added that some individuals who had already been barred from fan events continued to harass the members by waiting inside hotels where they were staying and positioning themselves near the artists' seats during flights.
"Please note that, if fan etiquette violators engage in verbal abuse, physical assault, or other harmful conduct toward on-site security or operations personnel intervening against unpermitted fan behavior, or misrepresent and spread false information regarding our legitimate actions to protect our artists, we will actively pursue all available legal remedies," BIGHIT MUSIC said.
