Hive, 'Illegal Trade of Artist Airline Ticket Information' Gang Sued... Suspect Sent to Prosecution [Official]

In order to respond to the illegal trading of K-pop artists’ flight information, HYBE formed a separate task force last year. HYBE confirmed a number of SNS accounts trading artist flight information online, and then obtained evidence that could identify the operators and submitted it to the police.

Based on the data, the police conducted a long-term domestic and international investigation, confirmed the charges against some suspects, and sent them to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

The police investigation confirmed that the suspects had earned profits ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won by selling artist airline ticket information. The suspects illegally traded airline ticket information for K-pop artists through chats or DMs (Direct Messages).

The illegally traded information was used for stalking, where the artist's seat information was found out in advance and close contact was attempted after boarding the same plane. There were also confirmed cases where the artist's seat and in-flight meal were arbitrarily changed, or flight reservations were canceled, causing disruption to the artist's schedule and overall damage to the operation of the entertainment company.

The damage caused by such illegal trade in artist airline ticket information is spreading throughout the entertainment industry. It is known that not only Hive but also many idol groups and actors are complaining about damage caused by airline ticket information leaks.

HYBE stated, "The act of selling or purchasing illegally obtained airline ticket information is clearly an illegal act that threatens the safety of artists and creates a sense of insecurity, and is a very serious problem that can cause safety accidents at airports and on airplanes." They added, "We have a zero-tolerance policy on criminal acts that commercialize and trade artist personal information, and we will hold them accountable to the end without any agreements or leniency, and we will respond sternly."

In order to prevent further leakage of personal information of artists, including flight ticket information, HYBE has inspected related procedures and systems and requested cooperation from airlines and travel agencies. In addition, HYBE has decided to continue to closely cooperate with various organizations in the future to protect personal information of artists.

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