Vibe will answer Bloc B Park Kyung's allegations about chart manipulation with a lawsuit. Vibe's agency, Major Nine, confirmed that the label would take legal action against the idol for his harsh statements.
According to a statement by Major Nine, the agency will file a lawsuit against Park Kyung because it did not receive any form of apology from the rapper-producer for alleging that Vibe manipulated the charts to rank higher. The label further said that the irresponsible statement has caused "irreversible defamation and psychological turmoil" to the members. The agency further said that it would not accept any other form of arrangement or settlement when it starts legal proceedings against the Bloc B member.
It can be recalled that Bloc B's Park Kyung directly accused six artists of engaging in sajaegi, the illegal practice of manipulating the ranks by artists' companies through buying records in bulk to boost rankings in the charts. This helps artists improve their chances of winning on music programs.
In his statement, Park Kyung named Vibe, Song Hayea, Lim Jae Hyun, Jeon Sang Keun, Jang Deok Chul, Hwang In Wook as the artists who benefitted from this illegal practice.
Fans supported Park Kyung's bold statement and said that he must have been frustrated over the alleged manipulation of the rankings, which negate the hard work being of artists who were being cheated out of the positions they deserved on the charts. Some fans also called for an investigation over allegations of sajaegi to clear the industry from this allegation.
Park Kyung is well respected in the industry because of his rapping skills and intelligence. Apart from appearing on the show Problematic Men, he also qualified as a member of Mensa International, an organization exclusive for individuals who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a supervised IQ test.
According to a report by Koreaboo, Park Kyung was not the first artist to speak out about chart manipulation. While he was promoting his first official album, rapper DinDin also referred to the existence of sajaegi and said he was lucky to make it to the charts in time. He said that he would not be surprised if his album was edged out of the charts quickly because of the chart manipulation. However, he resolved to continue to rely on his strength as an artist to do well in music without the need for machine manipulations.
