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On October 31, 2024, HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk was accused of allegedly offering a high salary to a Weverse executive for compiling and drafting a controversial internal report. This report was brought to light on October 24 by a representative, Min Hyun-bae, from the Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly Audit.
Sports Seoul stated that an industry insider disclosed how Bang Si-hyuk would reportedly always stay updated on online trends and what fans said about each idol and K-pop group on every social media platform.
“The Bang Si-hyuk I know is someone who searches through all the bulletin boards. He is someone who is very sensitive to industry trends and opinions. Director K would thoroughly search various fandom bulletin boards, including X (former Twitter), and report on all the stories he gathered.”
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The industry source also alleged that the Weverse Magazine Director meticulously prepared the controversial HYBE internal report for Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and other C-level company executives over the years.
“He paid Director K hundreds of millions of won in annual salary and assigned him to work more than the media or critics. Weverse Magazine, which Director K was in charge of, was just one of many jobs. The two are not just acquaintances; they are really close.”
Chairman Bang Si-hyuk reportedly was aware of the HYBE internal document
Bang Si-hyuk, the chairman and founder of HYBE Corporation, was reportedly aware of and involved in the circulation of controversial internal documents among top company executives. This revelation comes as the company faces heightened scrutiny over other K-pop groups, with questions about the ethics and accountability of its management practices arising.
The internal documents reportedly contained sensitive information about high-profile K-pop groups, including Stray Kids, NCT, BLACKPINK, Vespa, TWICE, IVE, and more. The document allegedly contained demeaning and regressive comments on idols' appearances, height, visuals, cosmetic surgeries, and more.
However, at the National Assembly Audit on October 24, 2024, HYBE clarified that the contentious internal report was a compilation of online comments left by fans regarding every K-pop group. On October 29, 2024, the entertainment company reportedly fired the employee in charge of creating the document.
In the exclusive exposé by Sports Seoul, another industry insider from a rival entertainment company (name withheld for privacy) highlighted the document as being unethical on several grounds. The person said,
“HYBE is a company with over 50% market share in K-pop. It’s not simply an entertainment company. It shouldn’t be run that way. If they disparage other artists, it naturally means they are disparaging their own artists as well. They just left out their own and made it seem like everyone else was in a mess.”
Sports Seoul reported that former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin sent an email to HYBE on April 16, 2024, underscoring the lack of objectivity in the controversial internal report, which was reportedly sent to her along with other executives every week. Min Hee-jin had previously raised concerns about the creation of a disparaging document that demeans other K-pop groups.
