'Music Chart Manipulation'... Former Agency CEO Youngtak and 11 Others Indicted

Suspicion of hoarding including 'Niga Wae Geogiseo Nawa'

Those involved in the so-called 'music chart manipulation' by artificially boosting music rankings using illegally obtained personal information, including entertainment agencies and PR firms, have been brought to trial.

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Ji-eun) announced on the 21st that from December 2018 to December of the following year, they indicted without detention 11 people, including representatives and associates of four PR firms and entertainment agencies, for obstructing business by computer, after manipulating the rankings of 15 songs by playing them 1,727,985 times on major domestic music sites.

According to the prosecution, they recruited clients requesting music chart manipulation through business brokers and committed the crimes using over 500 virtual PCs, a large number of purchased IP addresses, and 1,627 pieces of illegally obtained personal information.

It was investigated that they assigned IPs to virtual PCs and accessed the music sites with multiple accounts to disable the abuse prevention systems of the music sites.

Among those indicted was Lee Jae-gyu, CEO of Milagro, the former agency of singer Youngtak. Lee is accused of requesting a marketing agent to manipulate the music chart rankings of Youngtak’s 2019 release "Niga Wae Geogi Seo Nawa" ("Why Are You Coming Out There?").

However, the prosecution cleared singer Youngtak of charges. Previously, the police transferred Lee to the prosecution while deciding not to indict Youngtak, but Youngtak was automatically transferred due to the complainant’s objection.

The prosecution stated, "Through this investigation, we have specifically confirmed that the suspicions of music chart manipulation, which have been consistently raised in the market, were carried out in an organized manner," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that sentences commensurate with the crimes are imposed during the prosecution."