Recently, HYBE and BTS faced claims of being associated with a cult known as Dahn World. Online posts suggest that HYBE artists are indirectly promoting this cult through their music.
The founder of Dahn World, Ilchi Lee, also founded Global Cyber University (GCU), which six of the seven BTS members attended. This started speculation regarding HYBE’s involvement with Dahn World.
Most recently, Global Cyber University announced they will take strong legal action against malicious slander being spread against the university. Online posts stated that the university was affiliated with a religious meditation group and that BTS also had connections with them.
Global Cyber University was established after receiving approval from the Ministry of Education in 2010. They stated they do not operate religious facilities or classes and are legally separated from religious organizations.
Regarding the six members of BTS attending the school, “The members attended the university before officially debuting as BTS or before they became famous.”
A year after the school’s opening, BTS’s Suga was the first to enroll in March 2013 in the school’s Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment, the first online university to add this major. With Suga’s recommendation, RM and J-Hope enrolled in 2014, V and Jimin in 2015, and Jungkook in 2017, all by personal choice.
Our school is a four-year university approved by the Ministry of Education. With all our classes being online, many officer workers and celebrities enroll in our classes. Please stop spreading false information about the celebrity students who enrolled in the school by choice to work hard on their career.
The school is collecting evidence to take legal action against those spreading defamatory and malicious posts. We will not back down against those who defame the university, its students, and the faculty and staff who have worked hard for the students over the past 14 years.
— Global Cyber University
However, many netizens felt that HYBE should be the ones taking legal action on the university.
- “These guys are even taking legal action, what is HYBE doing?”
- “So is HYBE and this cult taking legal action against each other now?”
- “HYBE hurry up and take legal action on this school.”
- “Wow but this news outlet CEO donated scholarships to the school…hmm..”
- “People really be like this on a legal action article…”
- “But shouldn’t HYBE be the ones taking legal action on them? Although BTS attended the school, using terms like ‘BTS University’ and using them to promote the school is a bit too much.”
- “Wow disgusting…so many cults in our society.”
