Sophia Michaels
On Dec. 10, some BTS fans thought they would wake up to news of a BTS comeback. Instead, JTBC falsely reported that BTS planned to file a lawsuit against Big Hit Entertainment in regards to profit sharing. Big Hit Entertainment denied the report. The company also revealed that JTBC broke into Big Hit Entertainment’s private office without a pass and filmed the inside of the building for a news segment.
The company asked for an apology from JTBC for their false reporting and the damage caused by the report. So far, JTBC has not issued an apology to Big Hit Entertainment, BTS, or their families.
JTBC falsely reported BTS planned to file a lawsuit against Big Hit Entertainment
On Dec. 9, JTBC reported that BTS went against their own agency, Big Hit Entertainment.
“… according to a source close to BTS, there was conflict between BTS and Big Hit Entertainment about the profit sharing between the group and the company, even before they decided to re-sign their contracts,” wrote Koreaboo about JTBC’s report. “In the end, the two sides failed to reconcile their differences in opinion for profit sharing, and the case has gone to legal review.”
Big Hit Entertainment released a statement on behalf of BTS and their parents
Initially, Big Hit Entertainment only released a brief statement saying the report was not true. The company then pulled out all the receipts and released a lengthy statement on behalf of Big Hit Entertainment, BTS, and the members’ families.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdrO-iU3Glg?start=6&feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
“This statement is one that BTS and their parents both agree with. Since these are individual matters, BTS and their parents can’t help but ask JTBC what motive they had to report on this news,” Big Hit Entertainment wrote.
The statement continued, “While it is not clear what the revenue sharing issue between us and BTS discussed in the article means, we are currently discussing some issues that will not affect our exclusive contract. The matter has been expanded and reported as if there is a dispute. This is not the case.”
The company denied all of JTBC’s claims
In the over 700-word statement, Big Hit Entertainment went through and denied each of the claims made in the report. JTBC alleged that BTS consulted a legal firm in Gangnam to possibly file a lawsuit against Big Hit Entertainment over profit distribution.
“… BTS is not trying to take legal action because of a specific issue, but rather is consulting with us after making a legal inquiry. JTBC changed our relationship in their report,” wrote Big Hit Entertaiment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrcr4gJWehU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
The statement also acknowledged that Big Hit Entertainment encourages BTS and their families to consult external professional advice when it comes to contract negotiations.
“For reference, we have been encouraging BTS and parents to actively use external advice from accountants and lawyers regarding finance, settlements, and law. This is because it is natural for BTS to hear professional opinions as the value created by BTS is increasing day by day,” wrote Big Hit Entertainment.
Big Hit Entertainment then denied claims that BTS and the company had a dispute when negotiating their contract renewal in 2018.
“As for the renewal contract last year, we and BTS recognized each other as equal partners. Recognizing that the process of signing a renewal could not be as simple as the value of BTS creates, we and BTS reached the best model after a lengthy discussion,” read the statement.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQeqsS6VEDI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
Big Hit Entertainment called the media company’s journalism practices into question
At the end of the statement, Big Hit Entertainment called JTBC’s journalism practices into questions.
“We have not only the video that JTBC used for the first report but also the CCTV video that recorded the footage of the journalist breaking into our company,” wrote Big Hit Entertainment. “It is our position that the media should report according to the principles, as long as freedom of the press is guaranteed, and we plan to raise concerns separately about JTBC’s reporting behavior in this regard.”
The company also asked for an apology from JTBC for their false report about BTS.
“Whatever JTBC’s intention for this report, it is not true. JTBC has reported it as true and related it to issues not related to our company, which has caused damage to us and BTS. We believe that JTBC’s report is a problem and does not comply with minimum principles. We ask for JTBC’s sincere apology and response,” reads the end of the statement.
JTBC has not apologized to Big Hit Entertainment or BTS
So far, JTBC has still not issued an apology to Big Hit Entertainment, BTS, or BTS’s families. Fans have remained unfazed by the report, and trended hashtags on Twitter calling for JTBC to apologize as well.
The report from JTBC came after BTS won 19 awards in three different countries all in one week. On Nov. 30 in Seoul, BTS won all the awards they were nominated for at the Melon Music Awards, including all four Daesangs.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-0v1fNVdas?start=79&feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
On Dec. 4, the group then won all four Daesangs at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in Japan, becoming the first group in history to have a clean sweep at both award shows in the same year. On Dec. 7, they were honored as Group of the Year at Variety’s Hitmakers brunch in the U.S.
While it’s unclear why JTBC published the false report and resorted to breaking into Big Hit Entertainment, it is clear that BTS and Big Hit Entertainment’s worldwide influence is continuing to grow more each day.
Written by: CheatSheet
