He collected private information.

A producer has been put on trial and sentenced to prison for impersonating a BTS member.

The man in question, who is in his 20s, will now be known as “A.” He reportedly impersonated a BTS member and collected personal information.

The Criminal Appeals Department 5-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kim Yong Joong, Kim Ji Sun, and So Byeong Jin) sentenced A (29) in the first trial to one year in prison on the 10th for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection.

A was specifically investigated for impersonating BTS’s Suga, whose real name is Min Yoon Gi, in August-September 2022. A was charged and arrested after he used a mobile phone to speak to a record producer, B. In doing so, he collected military service details and also received undisclosed guide sound sources.

In November of that year, A also impersonated B to contact Suga himself for the same reason. A attempted to find out information concerning an album’s release date and time of enlistment.

A reportedly impersonated BTS’s V, whose real name is Kim Tae Hyung. In doing so, A received more than ten undisclosed guide music files through other producers. He was charged with the unauthorized removal of information concerning the album, unreleased song details, personal information, and private schedules.

A was sentenced to prison in the first trial. It was stated that the BTS members and their company would “suffer considerable property and social damage due to his actions.” The trial court judge explained, “The motive for the crime is to use the collected undisclosed information to impersonate a successful composer and gain favor from people. They added, “The damage has not been recovered at all, and they have not received forgiveness from the victims.”

The victims who were exposed to undisclosed information appear to have suffered significant psychological harm. The damage has not been recovered at all, and they have not received forgiveness from the victims… The defendant is currently showing a reflective attitude, and the defendant’s family is committed to leading a righteous life. Considering both the final judgment and the fairness of the sentence if tried together with the final judgment.

— First Trial Court Judge

The court dismissed both A’s and the prosecutor’s appeals, stating, “The intangible damages suffered by the victims in this case were significant, and no agreement was reached.”

A is a known music producer, having previously worked on the production of famous idol groups’ songs.