'Boycott HYBE' movement sparks across South Korea amidst the company's growing silence on controversial internal report leak

On November 7, 2024, South Korean media outlet Dailyan reported that Korean netizens have started the "Boycott HYBE" movement to protest against the company's leaked internal report. On October 24, the Democratic Party of Korea revealed an 18,000-page internal report of HYBE, which contained demeaning remarks against other K-pop groups and idols who are minors.

The internal report stirred controversy as it mentioned disparaging comments about Stray Kids, NCT, BLACKPINK, NMIXX, and more. The report claimed that BLACKPINK's Lisa allegedly ruined her reputation after performing at the Crazy Horse Cabaret burlesque show. It also mentioned how BLACKPINK's Jisoo's fanbase allegedly spread rumors of BLACKPINK's Rosé's fake drug usage.

Netizens claimed that HYBE has not apologized to the idol groups and has maintained an eerie silence over the ongoing controversy, allegedly feigning ignorance.

Furthermore, SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan posted on his Instagram to address the ongoing controversy. He stated that idols are not "items" to be used in someone's narrative.

"I want to make this clear. We are not people who have been active so smoothly that you can easily judge us by going up and down. We have been hurt enough, broken down enough, and overcome somehow. We are people who work hard to show our fans our best on stage. I hope you don't take idols lightly. We don't deserve to be easily included in your narrative," he wrote.

"Not only for us, but also for other artists. We are not your items. I hope you don't think that you can use and enjoy it as you please," he continued in his post (as translated by Google Translate).

For the unversed, SEVENTEEN is under Pledis Entertainment, a HYBE subsidiary label.

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Over 47,000 people sign petition in favor of stripping down HYBE's "Top Company" status

K-pop fandoms have started boycotting the entertainment company that is home to BTS, ENHYPEN, SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM, and more. Dailyan reported that SEVENTEEN's fanbase, CARATs, specifically took an active part in the nationwide petition. The petition urges the Ministry of Employment and Labor to revoke the company's accreditation as a "leading company for jobs."

On November 4, 2024, a netizen petitioned to strip down HYBE's "Top Company" and "leading company for jobs" statuses. Over 47,189 people have signed the petition on the official website of South Korea's National Assembly. The purpose of the petition stated:

"The decision to cancel the selection of Hive as a top company due to the issue of workplace bullying was taken to ensure the soundness and sustainability of the system for fostering talent and establishing a cooperative labor-management culture."

The workplace bullying allegation mentioned in the petition was first highlighted by NewJeans' Hanni at the National Assembly Audit on October 15, 2024. NewJeans is under ADOR, which is also a HYBE subsidiary. Hanni claimed that she overheard a manager tell another idol group to "ignore" Hanni while passing them in the company's hallway.

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On October 29, 2024, HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang apologized for the ongoing controversy and the internal report. He stated that the report was a collection of comments left by fans on online platforms, and the Weverse executive in charge of the report left his personal remarks as well.

The Peninsula reported that the executive was fired from his position as the editor-in-chief of Weverse Magazine. Reportedly, he was reassigned to the human resources team.