Illegal BTS ‘Swim’ copies sold on Temu

Unauthorized copies of BTS’ “Swim” single are being sold on Chinese online shopping platform Temu, a Korean professor said Wednesday, calling the practice an obvious violation of intellectual property rights.

Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, said in an Instagram post Tuesday that he confirmed the sale after receiving reports from BTS’ fanbase, ARMY. He shared a screenshot of a sales post advertising the single on Temu.

“BTS’ ‘Swim’ single is only sold through official distributors such as the Weverse Shop,” Seo wrote. “Even though the marketplace only provides the platform, it is wrong to allow illegal products to be offered for sale.”

Seo also cited similar cases from March, when major online marketplaces in China sold illegal merchandise after BTS’ comeback show in Gwanghwamun went viral.

He said other online marketplaces, such as Taobao and AliExpress, have also sold merchandise that illegally uses the “Arirang” logo on T-shirts and other accessories.

“It must stop,” Seo wrote, adding that profiting from the illegal sale of someone else’s content must end immediately.