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The fandom 'Army' of the group 'Bangtan Sonyeondan' (BTS) has stepped up to protect the team as the direct clash between HYBE executives and Min Hee-jin, CEO of HYBE subsidiary ADOR, has spilled over onto BTS.

Group BTS.
[Photo by BigHit Music]

According to the popular music industry on the 3rd, Army published a full-page statement in a major daily newspaper, declaring, "We support Bangtan Sonyeondan, not HYBE."

Army expressed concern that "amid ongoing internal management conflicts within HYBE, Bangtan Sonyeondan, who are unrelated to the current situation, are suffering from false news and rumors."

They further demanded, "Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and CEO Park Ji-won of HYBE must stop the media play that uses Bangtan Sonyeondan as a shield against the company's internal and external negative issues."

Regarding Bangtan Sonyeondan's agency Big Hit Music, they raised their voices, saying, "We demand that Big Hit Music take responsible measures to address the indiscriminate attacks and slanders against Bangtan Sonyeondan, immediately take legal action, and clearly announce the progress."

In particular, Army emphasized that an agency that does not protect its artists has no reason to exist. "The fan club name 'Army' is derived from Bangtan Sonyeondan's 'Bangtan.' It carries meanings similar to shield and defense, symbolizing a military-like protection of Bangtan Sonyeondan from various attacks. Accordingly, Army has voiced opinions on various social issues related to Bangtan Sonyeondan, including military service."

On the 3rd, a condolence wreath with protest messages directed at HYBE, the agency of BTS, was placed in front of the HYBE building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Currently, all members of Bangtan Sonyeondan are serving in the military. Starting with Jin next month, they will be discharged one by one and begin preparing for individual and group activities. In this situation, as innocent BTS members suffer from various rumors related to HYBE, Army appears to have taken collective action.

Some members of Army sent a message truck to the HYBE headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, demanding strengthened artist protection measures. On online communities, some Army members even proposed sending 'condolence wreaths' as a form of protest against the current situation.

On the 2nd, Big Hit Music issued a statement saying, "We clearly state that recent allegations such as manipulation marketing, concept plagiarism, connections to Danworld, and cult suspicions aimed at damaging and slandering Bangtan Sonyeondan's reputation are false."

They added, "We have compiled numerous posts that constitute false information dissemination and defamation and submitted the first complaint to investigative authorities on the 2nd. Posts and accounts that were systematically created and deleted, as well as those that were deleted, are all included in the complaint. We will continue monitoring and collecting evidence for additional complaints."