SEOUL, June 30 — BigHit Music, the agency behind rising K-pop boy group Cortis, has announced an aggressive legal response after discovering that obsessive fans had secretly attached a GPS tracking device to the group's vehicle during a recent schedule in Paris. The agency has vowed to pursue "thorough investigations and severe punishment under a zero-tolerance policy" .
The disturbing revelation was made public on June 29 through a formal notice on the fan platform Weverse, detailing a series of escalating privacy violations against the five-member group, which debuted last August .
According to BigHit Music's statement, the most serious incident occurred during Cortis's recent schedule in Paris. The agency confirmed that several fans attached a small GPS tracking device to the vehicle carrying the artists. These individuals also allegedly hired local drivers and vehicles to persistently follow the members' movements, including their private and undisclosed itineraries
This incident is part of a larger pattern of "egregious and unlawful conduct" targeting the group . The agency reported other violations of privacy and fan etiquette, including unauthorised intrusion into the artists' residence parking lots, individuals posing as event staff to approach the members, and appearing at non-public schedule locations. There were also reports of fans taking unauthorized photos of the members while they were resting in airport lounges or on aircraft .
Beyond physical stalking, BigHit Music is also actively pursuing legal action against the illegal distribution and sale of the artists' personal information. The agency stated that it has gathered evidence on multiple accounts that were selling the group's international flight booking information through social media and online platforms. A criminal complaint was filed in May, and an investigation is currently underway .
"Both the sale and purchase of artists' flight information constitute illegal acts that may violate the Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilisation and Information Protection," the agency stated .
In addition to physical threats, BigHit Music is taking a firm stance against malicious online content. The agency confirmed it has filed complaints targeting posts and comments containing disparagement and insults, the spread of clearly false information about the artists' work, and maliciously altered images that violate their dignity or cause sexual humiliation .
The agency emphasised that the illegality of such actions is particularly severe considering that most members of Cortis are still minors. The company has also imposed usage restrictions on accounts that posted infringing content in the group's Weverse community .
BigHit Music made it clear that it will not entertain any settlements or leniency for the offenders. "We have strongly conveyed the seriousness of these cases to investigative authorities and are requesting thorough investigations and severe punishment," the agency said .
The agency warned that it would also consider legal measures against individuals who verbally abuse or physically assault security staff, or who spread false claims misrepresenting the company's legitimate steps to protect the artists .
Cortis, a boy group that has quickly built a growing fan base with songs including GO!, REDRED and YOUNGCREATORCREW, is managed by BigHit Music, the HYBE label also home to global superstars BTS .
