For years, it has not been uncommon for unreleased music from K-pop idols to be leaked all over social media. BTS have also fallen victim to such incidents more than once whenever they release a new album. Whether the hackers are simply too sкιℓℓed or entertainment companies are being careless, the damage is still done — like a work of art being vandalized before it even gets the chance to be displayed.

"BigHit and BTS invest extensive resources into planning and executing the most effective release of albums, songs, lyrics and αѕѕociated material as possible, so as to have the greatest possible impact on potential listeners and the market when the media are released...The leak of BTS’s album destroyed the element of surprise that applicant was building up towards its release, negatively impacting its reputation and sales", a court document stated.

Fortunately, BTS and BigHit Music have never been willing to go easy on such malicious actors, and this time, they are getting closer to uncovering the identity of the person who leaked ARIRANG ahead of its release!

According to a report by Sisa Journal on the 14th, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas approved BigHit Music’s application to obtain evidence from X (formerly Twitter) on August 5. This gives BigHit Music the opportunity to obtain the personal information, access logs, and IP address of the operator of the offending account.

Earlier in March, an X account @j******, using the name “BTS ARIRANG LEAK,” leaked unreleased audio files, lyrics, concept art, and the album cover of ARIRANG ahead of schedule. Some fans may not have known about the incident because it was handled quietly by ARMYs and BigHit Music. Thanks to fans’ quick reports, the company was able to have the leaked content taken down before it spread further.

Because the account operator was believed to have tried to conceal their identity by using an anonymous name and username, BigHit had to turn to a U.S. court to request access to information from X, as X is a U.S.-based company and therefore outside the jurisdiction of кσяєαn courts. At the time, the company stated that without identifying the person behind the account, it would not be able to pursue civil proceedings in South кσяєα to hold them accountable and seek compensation for the damages.

Finally, four months after filing the application for evidence collection with the Texas court, their request was approved. Along with granting BigHit’s petition, the Texas court also imposed certain conditions: "X must notify the account user of the information request within 10 days of service" and that "X and the account user may each file a motion to quash or modify the subpoena within 21 days of service or notification."

Consequently, the path has been opened for Big Hit to secure identity information, such as the name, date of birth, address, email, and phone number of the operator of the problematic account, as well as access logs, IP addresses, and information regarding the holder of the payment мєтнod registered to the account from January 1, 2026 onwards.

Big Hit has stated that once the identity of the operator of the X account is confirmed, it plans to file a civil lawsuit in a кσяєαn court citing copyright and trade secret infringement, as well as violation of confidentiality obligations. Taking decisive legal action is considered a necessary step to establish a “red line,” emphasizing that any infringement of intellectual property rights and the artists’ hard work will face serious legal consequences.

Interestingly, when this user previously leaked content from ARIRANG on social media, they mocked and taunted warnings from other fans, claiming that they were not afraid of facing legal consequences because no one could uncover their real identity. Now, perhaps this user is cowering in a corner, praying that the U.S. court will not be able to track them down.

Fans could not help but celebrate and strongly support BTS and BigHit Music’s stance, saying: "I LOVE THIS. Let's see who they catch", "Good job. Haters failed again at doing their job", "Not only did their tweet leaking the album flopped but they're now getting sued too", "Lets gooo!!! BH, Get that twink!", "Finally, consequences", "Hello this is Big Hit. You finna going to jail", "Good for BigHit going after the person. GET THEM",...