Regarding Reports of Excessive Security Practices and Violations of Audience Privacy and Dignity at BTS Concerts
@HYBEOFFICIALtwt@BIGHIT_MUSIC@bts_bighit
We are writing to express our serious concern regarding reports that attendees have been subjected to intrusive and degrading treatment by security personnel at multiple venues during BTS’s tour.
This is not an objection to the enforcement of rules at BTS concerts. Our concern is with the conduct that reportedly occurred after attendees had already complied with instructions given to them.
Multiple attendees have reported the following:
- Intrusive physical searches involving sensitive areas of the body
- Security personnel placing their hands inside attendees’ clothing or pockets
- Touching of the chest, bra area, groin, and other intimate areas
- Forcing attendees into specific positions during physical searches
- Opening and inspecting personal hygiene products
- Compelling attendees to unlock their mobile phones
- Accessing and photographing personal information stored on mobile phones
- Photographing passports, identification documents, hotel information, credit cards, and other personal information
- Photographing attendees’ faces at extremely close range
- Sharing identifying information about attendees among security personnel and across multiple performances
- Confiscating personal property, including memory cards, without returning it
- Preventing attendees from documenting what was happening to them or seeking outside assistance
- Threatening attendees with arrest, imprisonment, deportation, or exclusion from future concerts
- Mocking, humiliating, and intimidating attendees who were visibly distressed
If these accounts are accurate, the conduct described goes far beyond the reasonable enforcement of concert photography policies.
Violating a Concert Rule Does Not Mean Forfeiting Basic Rights
Even when an attendee violates a concert rule, they do not thereby forfeit their dignity, privacy, bodily integrity, personal property, or other legal rights.
We are particularly concerned that similar incidents have reportedly occurred in multiple cities.
If this involved the conduct of a single security officer at a single venue, it might reasonably be investigated as an isolated case of individual misconduct.
However, reports of similar treatment at multiple venues raise a far more serious question:
Were these practices part of an organized security policy or procedure?
We call upon BIGHIT MUSIC and HYBE to investigate how these incidents occurred and to determine whether tour promoters, venue operators, security companies, subcontractors, or other parties involved in BTS concerts instructed, authorized, or tolerated such practices.
Actions We Request
We ask BIGHIT MUSIC and HYBE to take the following actions:
First, conduct a formal investigation into the reported incidents across all relevant venues, rather than treating them as isolated individual complaints.
Second, identify the entities responsible for establishing and implementing security procedures at the concerts concerned.
Third, establish clear limits on physical searches. In particular, any search involving intimate areas of the body must respect bodily dignity and comply with the applicable laws of each jurisdiction.
Fourth, establish clear rules governing the handling of personal information. Passports, payment cards, hotel room keys, mobile devices, and other personal information should not be accessed, photographed, stored, or shared without a legitimate and lawful basis.
Fifth, investigate whether photographs or identifying information of attendees were shared across venues or performances and, if so, disclose the purpose of such sharing, the recipients, the retention period, and the legal basis for doing so.
Sixth, ensure that any improperly obtained personal information is deleted where appropriate and that affected individuals are properly notified.
Seventh, establish a uniform code of conduct for security personnel working at BTS concerts that clearly prohibits intimidation, humiliating treatment, discriminatory conduct, unnecessary physical force, and threats that exceed their actual authority.
Eighth, establish a safe and independent mechanism through which attendees can report security misconduct without fear of retaliation or exclusion from future concerts.
Finally, publicly disclose the findings of the investigation and the measures that will be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring.
We call upon BIGHIT MUSIC and HYBE to take these reports seriously, investigate them transparently, and establish security practices for all future BTS concerts that protect both the safety of the events and the fundamental dignity of every attendee
BTS 공연에서의 과도한 보안 조치 및 관객의 사생활과 존엄성 침해 사례에 관하여
@HYBEOFFICIALtwt@BIGHIT_MUSIC@bts_bighit
저희는 BTS의 해외 투어 중 여러 공연장에서 관���들이 보안요원으로부터 침해적이고 굴욕적인 대우를 받았다는 다수의 제보에 대해 심각한 우려를 표명합니다.
이는 BTS 콘서트에서 규정을 적용하고 집행하는 것 자체에 이의를 제기하는 것이 아닙니다. 저희가 문제를 제기하는 것은 관객들이 이미 해당 지시에 따른 이후에 발생했다고 알려진 행위들입니다.
복수의 관객들로부터 다음과 같은 행위가 있었다는 제보가 있었습니다.
- 신체의 민감한 부위를 포함한 과도하고 침해적인 신체 수색
- 보안요원이 관객의 옷이나 주머니 안에 직접 손을 넣는 행위
- 가슴, 브래지어 주변, 사타구니 및 기타 민감한 신체 부위를 만지는 행위
- 신체 수색 과정에서 관객에게 특정 자세를 강요하는 행위
- 생리용품 등 개인 위생용품을 개봉하여 검사하는 행위
- 휴대전화의 잠금 해제를 강요하는 행위
- 휴대전화에 저장된 ���인정보에 접근하고 이를 촬영하는 행위
- 여권, 신분증, 호텔 관련 정보, 신용카드 등의 개인정보를 촬영하는 행위
- 관객의 얼굴을 매우 가까운 거리에서 촬영하는 행위
- 관객을 식별할 수 있는 정보를 보안요원들 사이에서, 그리고 여러 공연에 걸쳐 공유하는 행위
- 메모리카드 등의 개인 소유물을 압수하고 반환하지 않는 행위
- 관객이 자신에게 일어나고 있는 상황을 기록하거나 외부에 도움을 요청하는 것을 방해하는 행위
- 체포, 구금, 추방 또는 향후 콘서트 입장 금지 등을 언급하며 위협하는 행위
- 명백히 불안과 고통을 겪고 있는 관객을 조롱하거나 모욕하고 위협하는 행위
이러한 증언이 사실이라면, 이는 공연 촬영 규정을 집행하는 합리적인 범위를 크게 넘어선 행위입니다.
콘서트 규정을 위반했다고 해서 기본적인 권리를 잃는 것은 아닙니다
관객이 콘서트 규정을 위반했다 하더라도 인간으로서의 존엄성, 사생활, 신체의 불가침성, 개인 재산 및 기타 법적 권리를 잃는 것은 아닙니다.
특히 저희가 우려하는 점은 이와 유사한 사건들이 여러 도시에서 반복적으로 보고되고 있다는 사실입니다.
한 공연장에서 한 명의 보안요원이 저지른 행위라면 개인의 일탈 행위로 보고 조사할 수도 있을 것입니다.
그러나 여러 공연장에서 유사한 대응이 반복적으로 보고되고 있다면, 이는 훨씬 더 심각한 의문을 제기합니다.
이러한 행위들이 조직적인 보안 방침 또는 절차의 일부였던 것입니까?
저희는 BIGHIT MUSIC과 HYBE가 이러한 사건들이 어떻게 발생했는지 조사하고, BTS 공연과 관련된 투어 프로모터, 공연장 운영사, 보안업체, 하청업체 또는 기타 관계자들이 이러한 행위를 지시하거나 승인 또는 묵인했는지 확��해 주실 것을 요청합니다.
저희가 요청하는 조치
BIGHIT MUSIC과 HYBE에 다음과 같은 조치를 요청합니다.
첫째, 보고된 사건들을 개별적인 민원으로 처리하지 말고, 관련된 모든 공연장을 대상으로 공식적인 조사를 실시해 주십시오.
둘째, 해당 공연의 보안 절차를 수립하고 시행하는 데 책임이 있는 주체를 명확히 밝혀 주십시오.
셋째, 신체 수색의 명확한 한계를 마련해 주십시오. 특히 신체의 민감한 부위가 포함되는 수색은 인간의 신체적 존엄성을 존중하고 각 관할 지역의 관련 법률을 준수해야 합니다.
넷째, 개인정보 취급에 관한 명확한 규정을 마련해 주십시오. 정당하고 적법한 근거 없이 여권, 결제카드, 호텔 객실 키, 휴대전화 및 기타 개인정보에 접근하거나 이를 촬영, 저장 또는 공유해서는 안 됩니다.
다섯째, 관객의 사진이나 신원 식별 정보가 여러 공연장 또는 공연 간에 공유되었는지 조사하고, 공유된 사실이 있다면 그 목적, 공유 대상, 보관 기간 및 법적 근거를 밝혀 주십시오.
여섯째, 부적절하게 취득된 개인정보가 있다면 필요한 경우 이를 삭제하고, 영향을 받은 당사자들에게 적절히 통지해 주십시오.
일곱째, BTS 공연에 종사하는 보안요원에게 적용되는 통일된 행동 지침을 마련하고, 협박, 굴욕적인 대우, 차별적 행위, 불필요한 물리력 행사 및 실제 권한을 넘어서는 위협을 명확히 금지해 주십시오.
여덟째, 관객들이 보복이나 향후 공연에서의 배제를 두려워하지 않고 부적절한 보안 행위를 신고할 수 있는 안전하고 독립적인 신고 창구를 마련해 주십시오.
마지막으로, 조사 결과와 재발 방지를 위해 취할 조치를 공개해 주십시오.
저희는 BIGHIT MUSIC과 HYBE가 이러한 제보를 엄중하게 받아들��고 투명하게 조사하며, 향후 모든 BTS 공연에서 공연의 안전과 모든 관객의 기본적인 존엄성이 함께 보호될 수 있는 보안 체계를 확립해 주실 것을 요청합니다.
이게 2026년에 일어나는 일이 맞는가? 두 눈을 의심. 사타구니와 가슴 아래를 검사?? 아니 팬에게 인권은 없나? 그깟 사진 좀 찍었다고 저렇게까지 해야 하는 게 맞는 일인가?
그럼 우리 개인정보 유출된 것에 대해서는 왜 사과조차 없는가? 위버스가 사과하면 하이브는 나몰라라 해도 되는 것인가?
[English Translation (1/6)]
Statement on Excessive Security
and Human Rights Violations
at BTS Overseas Tour Venues
During BTS’s overseas tour, we repeatedly experienced treatment at multiple venues that went far beyond being told to stop filming or being removed from the venue.
These were not isolated incidents involving one person or one venue. The same kinds of invasive searches, intimidation, humiliation, and violations of privacy occurred across multiple cities.
We can no longer dismiss what happened as individual incidents, which is why we have decided to speak out together.
1. Why We Are Speaking Out
We understand that professional cameras may violate venue policies. When we were told to stop filming, we did not resist. We handed over our cameras and memory cards and cooperated with being escorted out.
We are not objecting to being told to stop filming or being removed from the venue. We are speaking out about what happened afterward.
A filming policy does not justify invasive body searches, forced access to personal information, confiscation of personal property, humiliation, or threats.
[English Translation (2/6)]
2. Invasive Searches of Our Belongings and Bodies
Even after we had surrendered our cameras and memory cards, and even after searches of our bags found no additional equipment, security personnel continued searching through all of our belongings because they suspected we were hiding additional memory cards.
They even opened and inspected our sanitary pads one by one.
The searches then escalated to our bodies. Security personnel put their hands inside our pants pockets and swept across our groin areas. They pressed and touched our cleavage and bra bands and searched around our underarms.
We were made to place both hands against a wall while our shoulders were pressed down to prevent us from moving. We were also ordered to put our hands behind our heads while our entire bodies were searched.
We did not resist. We had already surrendered our equipment and agreed to leave. Yet we were physically restrained, touched in intimate areas, and treated like criminals.
[English Translation (3/6)]
3. Forced Access to Personal Information and Control Over Our Ability to Document What Happened
They forced us to unlock our phones and directly accessed and photographed our personal and identifying information, including information stored in wallet apps.
They also photographed our passports, identification cards, hotel key cards, and even credit cards—items that had nothing to do with removing us from the venue.
They repeatedly flashed cameras directly into our faces at such close range that it was difficult to keep our eyes open, photographed us, and forced us to remove our hats and outerwear.
The identifying information collected and photographed during this process was shared with venue staff without our consent. At the following day’s concert, some of us were prevented from entering based on that information. At later venues, some of us were removed by staff who recognized us even though we were not taking photos.
Coercive body searches, the collection, photographing, and sharing of personal information, and the confiscation of personal property cannot simply be dismissed as “excessive treatment.” These actions go beyond the scope of enforcing venue policies and may raise issues of legal liability under the applicable laws of the jurisdictions where the concerts took place.
Meanwhile, whenever we reached for our phones to document what was happening or ask those around us for help, they immediately intimidated us and stopped us. As a result, we were unable even to inform people we knew about what was happening.
They were free to look through concertgoers’ phones and personal information and photograph our faces as they pleased, while we—the people actually subjected to this treatment—were not even allowed to document what was happening to us or seek help from outside.
[English Translation (4/6)]
4. Confiscation of Personal Property, Mockery, and Threats
Even after all footage had been deleted, some of our personal memory cards—worth hundreds of dollars each—were confiscated and never returned.
Whenever we tried to object, we were met with even harsher intimidation and relentless pressure. As a result, we were unable to properly protest and could only hope that the situation would end as quickly as possible.
Some security personnel threatened to drop our expensive cameras on the ground, then laughed at and mocked us when they saw how frightened we were. They repeatedly told us that no matter which future concert we attended, they would find us and throw us out. They also laughed with other staff members and deliberately sang along loudly to songs playing in the venue.
Watching us become frightened and distressed, they laughed and appeared to enjoy it. At some point, enforcing the rules seemed to have turned into a game of humiliating and tormenting people.
Some security personnel also claimed to be police officers and repeatedly threatened us, saying that they “could arrest us,” “would send us to jail,” and “would have us deported from the country.” At the time, the security personnel making these threats were not even wearing police uniforms.
In fact, during the SPEAK YOURSELF tour, we experienced a similar situation in which we were stopped for taking photos and later encountered local police after venue staff reported us. However, the police explained that taking photos at a concert was not the kind of matter that warranted calling the police, and the situation ended easily without further issue.
Actual police officers did not even consider the matter serious enough to take further action. For venue security personnel to threaten concertgoers with arrest, jail, or even deportation, treating them like criminals over such conduct, is not reasonable enforcement of venue policy.
[English Translation (5/6)]
5. Fansite Activities and the Boundaries We Respect
Regardless of how people feel about fansites, we have clear boundaries that we do not cross.
We do not go to artists’ homes, hotels, restaurants, gyms, or other private spaces, nor do we follow private schedules.
We buy tickets and attend public concerts, where we document the moments we love.
During concerts, we also do not leave our seats to get closer to the artists, throw objects, or otherwise interfere with the viewing experience of those around us.
In fact, at most concerts, we have enjoyed the shows alongside other fans while being considerate of one another.
On the current tour, because of the 360-degree stage and extended stages reaching in multiple directions, the members’ movements are spread across different parts of the venue. Even from seats close to the stage, members on the opposite side may be impossible to see directly, and the screens do not show every member at the same time. As a result, we often miss moments we each wanted to see. Many fans are also unable to attend overseas concerts in person.
That is also why we go to these concerts and take photos and videos: to preserve the moments we witnessed more clearly and share with one another the moments someone else may have missed.
For us, this too is a joyful and meaningful part of being a fan, rooted in our love for the artists. We want to ask whether violating a filming policy at a concert we attended with those intentions really means we should have to endure this level of humiliation and suffering.
[English Translation (6/6)]
6. Basic Decency and Respect
In 2026, when awareness surrounding women’s bodies and human rights has changed significantly, we never imagined that several security personnel would surround a single female concertgoer at a venue, search even intimate areas of her body, and humiliate her.
What is even more shocking is that this happened repeatedly across multiple cities.
This forces us to ask whether Asian female fans are being treated as easier targets for this kind of excessive conduct.
Would security personnel have carried out body searches that included touching the groin and chest, and coercive checks and photographing of personal information, with the same lack of hesitation if the concertgoers had been of another race or gender?
Since our faces and identifying information have already been photographed and shared, we know that making this statement public may expose us to further repercussions, and we are prepared to accept that risk.
Even so, we are speaking out because we do not want this to happen again to another fan at another concert.
Someone has to say that this was wrong. Violating a filming policy does not give anyone the right to touch a concertgoer’s body without justification, access their personal information, take their property, humiliate them, or threaten them.
Nowhere on the tickets that cost us more than $1,000 did it say that we would have to endure human rights violations like these.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the minimum level of respect and reasonable treatment we deserve as concertgoers.
🗳HEARTVOTE (Final)D_6
October Birthday Vote🎂
We really don’t understand the goals of some voters here.🙇 Why do you keep splitting your votes between two categories when we have been reminding everyone time and time again to focus on and prioritize the October Birthday Vote?! Currently, Jimin is leading in the other category, while he's only in 2nd place in the category we are actually competing in. If you continue splitting your votes this way, we are very likely to lose this match!
We have also repeatedly reminded everyone to save your votes now for the MASS VOTING instead of casting them early and giving our opponent time to prepare and counter us! Please cooperate and follow the strategy if you really want us to win this battle!
🏆Winner's Reward:
✨️Yongsan I'Park Media Wall
Enter this Coupon code (star0822) if you haven't used it yet get 300 free🩷
Download the app using this invite link for Android user (not yet available on app store)
📌https://t.co/KhnWZPDenP
▪︎ Change language (beside HEARTV logo)
▪︎ Set your bias: Click "My Bias page" and search Jimin's name
How to collect Heart Pick
☑ Daily Check-in
☑ Watch an AD (15x daily)
☑ Watch Special AD (5x daily)
☑ Invite Friends
☑ Click share get 10 hearts pick (you can share it o friend's direct message or any sns) (2x daily)
☑ Star Pick can be purchased on app store