"They deserved to be sued": Fans express outrage as a man stands trial for impersonating BTS' V & Suga, stealing producers' confidential music guides

On January 24, 2024, the South Korean media outlet SPOTV News reported that a man in his twenties had lately been posing as BTS' Taehyung, aka V, and Suga. As per the latest update, the accused stands trial for impersonating Min Yoongi, aka Suga, and contacting a music producer from August to September 2022 to acquire unreleased music demos from him.

In addition, the accused impersonated Kim Taehyung of BTS and obtained unreleased music guides from ten other music producers. The accused was eventually prosecuted and stands trial in court as per the latest updates.

Fans of BTS voiced their concern and outrage against the felon for committing these crimes multiple times. One fan wrote on Twitter that the accused "deserved to be sued."

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"Where is the company?": Fans voice disappointment toward HYBE's inability to protect BTS' V and Suga from identity theft

Judge Ham Hyun-ji of Criminal Division 27 of the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 29-year-old accused, who was charged with breaching the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilisation and Information Protection, to one year's imprisonment on January 19, 2024.

Moreover, the suspect reportedly obtained data concerning albums and military activities relating to the conscription period by posing as a music producer and contacting Suga in November 2022. This information shocked the fandom as they wondered how the suspect managed to acquire the BTS idol's personal contact information and conned him, along with ten other music producers, for so long.

Additionally, the offender is charged with pretending to be Taehyung and reportedly accepting over ten unpublished guide sound files from other producers. The offender perpetrated the same offence while under investigation and is currently being prosecuted for the same crime, as per reports.

For the unversed, a temporary, unpolished recording of a song serves as a guide for overdubs and extra parts. It's a condensed rendition of the song with just enough details to let performers and artists know where they are in the song. While recording their parts, musicians can follow along to the tune using a guide track.

In addition, it can also aid musicians in maintaining timing and feeling the rhythm. Although guide sections should adhere to the identical blueprint as the final recording, they don't have to be recorded to a high enough quality to be included in it.

SPOTV News reported that the court highlighted how the victims, who exposed material without permission, appear to have suffered serious psychological harm. The court noted that the suspect's conduct may have caused the victims and the impacted firm to suffer considerable financial and social harm.

Further, the offender apparently has a history of receiving jail sentences for comparable crimes. For these reasons, Judge Ham Hyun-ji of Criminal Division 27 of the Seoul Central District Court determined that the crime was serious. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old accused has filed an appeal against the first trial ruling and awaits further trial.

Fans demanded that the accused be sent to prison for a year and stand trial. However, some fans are displeased with HYBE for allegedly being incompetent in detecting a serious identity theft offender who kept misusing Taehyung and Suga's identities and tarnishing their reputation along with harming other music producers by stealing their work.

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In other news, BTS member Kim Taehyung featured as the lead actor in the latest comeback digital single of IU, Love wins all. Kim Taehyung has been praised for his exceptional acting range, which he portrayed in the music video, sending his fans into an online frenzy.

Meanwhile, Suga has been serving in the military since September 22, 2023, along with the rest of his six band members. BTS idols plan to reconvene with group endeavors in late 2025, after everyone's return from the military.