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BTS' V's portrait rights misused by Chuncheon city; BIGHIT MUSIC demands immediate removal from market promotions
Chuncheon City used V’s photo without permission to promote a market. BigHit Music is now asking for the photo to be removed immediately, saying it was used unfairly and without approval.
BTS member V is once again at the center of an image rights dispute, this time involving the local government of Chuncheon. The city was reported to gain 1 billion won tourism revitalization project—without the consent of V or his agency, BigHit Music. As part of the project, officials used a photo of V taken in Chuncheon and planned to create a "V Photo Zone" and other attractions based on his likeness.
BigHit Music quickly took action, formally requesting the removal of V’s image from the project. According to M News, this request came after a city press release that followed a social media post by Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong Han. The post featured a cheerful photo of the mayor sitting in the same spot where V had previously been seen during his recent military training days. The post, which highlighted BTS V’s visit, garnered over 1,700 reactions and leveraged his presence as a key promotional asset for the Chuncheon Folk Flea Market.
City official shares to local Korean newspaper Segye Ilbo, "We asked the local government to delete the photo because we used an artist’s portrait without the approval of the agency.”
A city official clarified, “The agency did not directly ask for V’s photos to be deleted. We released the statement proactively to prevent any potential controversy.” They added, “It seems the agency was more concerned about the creation of photo zones featuring V rather than the photos themselves. Many local governments have been using places visited by BTS members for tourism promotion, which has led to frequent copyright disputes.
BigHit Music has previously taken action against the unauthorized commercial use of BTS members' photos. The agency has previously been successful in demanding the demolition of the BTS Bus Stop in Jumunjin, which is connected to the group's 2017 album You Never Walk Alone, and the removal of a BTS Photo Zone in Samcheok Si, Gangwon Do. The ongoing conflict between local governments and Big Hit Music over image rights was further highlighted in July 2021 when Samcheok Si restored sculptures used in the Maengbang Beach filming of BTS' Butter album.
