SEOUL, July 23 — Three individuals, including an employee of a foreign airline, have reportedly been referred for prosecution in South Korea for allegedly acquiring and selling the flight details of celebrities, including members of BTS.
According to a report in The Korea Herald, the airline staff member is suspected of accessing internal systems to obtain the information and passing it to others, who then sold it via social media channels.
Citing industry sources, the report said the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency found evidence of both unauthorised access and financial transactions worth tens of millions of won.
Entertainment company Hybe, which represents BTS, was said to have played a key role in advancing the investigation by monitoring online activity and submitting evidence to authorities.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward crimes that commercialize and traffic in artists’ personal information,” Hybe reportedly said.
The case has raised fresh concerns over repeated privacy violations by “sasaeng” fans who attempt to track celebrities during flights, according to the report.
