[Comprehensive] "IU Used as a Shield" Yeongtak and Bolbbalgan4 Accused of Chart Manipulation

Singer Youngtak (left) and Bolbbalgan4's An Jiyoung (right). Photo by Instagram post capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Popular singers such as Yeongtak, Bolbbalgan4, Song Ha-ye, Lee Gi-kwang, and Ali are embroiled in allegations of manipulating music charts, causing a ripple effect in the music industry.

On the morning of the 8th, Kim Geun-tae, a proportional representative candidate of the People’s Party, announced at a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Hall that it was confirmed that the under-marketing company Creativer manipulated music rankings using IDs obtained through illegal hacking.

Kim claimed that among those involved were popular singers including Go Seung-hyung, GWSN (Gongwon Sonyeo), Bad Kids, Bolbbalgan4, Song Ha-ye, Yeongtak, Yoyomi, Sohyang, Ali, and Lee Gi-kwang.

He stated, "The singers confirmed to have been manipulated are Go Seung-hyung, GWSN, Bad Kids, Bolbbalgan4, Song Ha-ye, Yeongtak, Yoyomi, Sohyang, Ali, and Lee Gi-kwang," adding, "Creativer rented servers, partitioned them, installed multiple Windows systems, and played music or made computers recognized as mobile devices to play and download music."

Creativer is an AI curation company established on March 30, 2017, by the PR agency Anstar Company, which is suspected of attempting to manipulate the music charts of Song Ha-ye, Yeongtak, and others. Kim, the representative of Anstar Company, explained that Creativer was created to monitor new music platforms and that the songs from companies familiar with Song Ha-ye and Yeongtak were only used for simple testing, denying the manipulation allegations.

Kim emphasized, "The accounts used for manipulating music rankings usually number from thousands to tens of thousands. We secured a list of 1,716 Daum and Melon IDs of citizens who were exploited for manipulation, spanning a wide range of ages from those born in 1935 to 2003, regardless of gender or age."

Additionally, Kim revealed that they meticulously operated by playing songs of IU, a Melon-affiliated singer, together with manipulated tracks to conceal their actions.

He claimed, "To hide the manipulation, they played songs by Melon-affiliated artists and other musicians together, using a meticulous method to prepare for any eventuality and manipulate the music charts. IU’s songs were most frequently used as a shield for the manipulation. This is why IU’s songs occasionally appeared on the charts or search rankings without any apparent reason."

Kim then urged music platforms such as Melon, "Please disclose all log information of songs commonly played by the hacked IDs. We ask for your active cooperation to eliminate illegal manipulation."

Immediately after Kim’s announcement, Lee Gi-kwang of Highlight, who was implicated in the music chart manipulation, completely denied the allegations.

On the 8th, Around Us Entertainment, Lee Gi-kwang’s agency, told multiple media outlets, "(The music manipulation allegations) are absolutely not true," and added, "We will take legal action against the spread of false information."

Bolbbalgan4 also reportedly denied the allegations and announced plans for legal action.

On the same day, a representative from Bolbbalgan4’s agency, Shofar Music, told News1, "There is no fact that we manipulated music rankings," and "We do not even know the company called Creativer."

They added, "We will take legal action for the spread of false information and defamation regarding the music ranking manipulation allegations."