Comedian and singer Kim Kyung-wook, known by his stage persona Tanaka, revealed that his music was stolen and re-registered by a Chinese company, urging fellow artists to stay vigilant.

On October 17, Kim wrote on social media, "Recently, a Chinese music distributor has been rearranging popular songs and re-uploading them to Instagram (Meta), causing the original song ownership to be automatically transferred."

Original Track Re-Registered in China

One of his songs, Good Night Miss (released last year), was reportedly re-registered in China under the title Wǎn'ān Dàxiǎojiě (晚安大小姐), which translates to the same phrase. "It's now listed as a Chinese company's track," Kim explained.

Co-composer and singer Guana also expressed frustration, saying, "The song I composed, Good Night Miss, disappeared from Instagram. It was rearranged and re-registered in China, which resulted in the forced transfer of ownership. I don't even have the energy to fight or know what to do next."

Ongoing Investigation and Industry Warning

Kim added, "I'm currently in contact with the distributor to find a resolution. I hope other artists won't fall victim to the same issue."

This isn't the first instance of Chinese copyright theft. In 2021, Chinese record labels re-registered several Korean songs as local versions without approval from the original creators. Artists including Lee Seung-chul, Brown Eyes, Younha, and IU were among those affected, with copyright royalties and neighboring rights fees being wrongfully redirected to Chinese entities.