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HYBE has been embroiled in an ongoing controversy of its disparaging internal report where the label allegedly demeaned other K-pop groups. The 18,000-page report was first exposed by representative Min Hyun-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly Audit on October 24, 2024, while questioning HYBE COO Kim Tae-ho.
In the latest update, an individual claiming to be a HYBE employee exposed additional pages from the internal report. These pages included observations on BLACKPINK and EXO members, especially their fandom wars. In one segment, the label highlighted how some fans of BLACKPINK's Jisoo filed complaints against Dior for posting Kim Yuna's picture ahead of Jisoo.
The entertainment conglomerate underscored how fan complaints often put stress on the idols and affect others outside the fandoms as well. The report added how Jisoo's fans allegedly spread rumors about BLACKPINK's Rosé's alleged drug abuse and dating life. The report read,
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"The suspicions that Rosé's dating rumor and illegal drug rumor were both spread by Jisoo's fans has come up again, and is a topic that crawls back up again every once in a while so it may be a good issue to bring up around right around the timing of her solo promotions."
The report also stated how EXO's D.O. (real name Lee Kwang-soo) appearance on tvN's Green Bean, Red Bean was expected to yield higher viewership ratings. Despite being hosted by Na Yeong-seok aka Na PD, the rating was 3.4%. The report predicted that SEVENTEEN (HYBE subsidiary group) could go ahead as planned with Na PD as EXO's D.O.'s variety show didn't perform well.
Meanwhile, BLACKPINK and EXO fans were baffled to see such a detailed report of their favorite idols. One fan wrote on X,
"Every time I read exo pages I got goosebumps.. a whole 3 pages just for them in 2023 their inactive year!!"
Netizens lashed out on HYBE for allegedly using "reverse virality" or reverse viral marketing to push their own idol groups compared to the competing groups.
"And HYBE was caught admitting to reverse virality by spreading negative comments about other company’s artists through online forums and chats. How low can HYBE go?" one X user wrote.
"I guess Hybe knows everything about Exo, I hope Hybe would give us hint if Exo would have a comeback with a winter song!" another user wrote.
"They really have so much time instead of training their artists." another X user added.
Several netizens mentioned how disturbed they felt after knowing that the entertainment conglomerate wrote 3 pages on BLACKPINK and EXO in its controversial internal report.
"It's crazy that hybe is still so obsessed with EXO and SM. Like 3 pages for Exo is INSANE to say the least.. sounds like they start shaking as soon as they even just hear that name lol," one user said.
"Companies compete. Some focus on offering best in class and continuing in this effort. Some companies focus on other things. #EXOL will always stand with #EXO @weareoneEXO" another user added.
HYBE's internal report mentions BLACKPINK's Lisa's Crazy Horse show, EXO-CBX, and more
HYBE's internal report stated that BLACKPINK's Lisa's public reputation dropped after her performance at the Crazy Horse Show in Paris. The company wrote that her performing at a burlesque show was foolish instead of "empowering."
"Her public image collapsed after the 'Crazy Horse Show' in Paris. She may have wanted to emphasize the empowerment message through the act of performing at the show itself, but can't seem to accept the fact that it was a naive decision to just jump into a burlesque show rather than promoting empowerment on a larger stage through background storytelling and production," the report read.
The report also mentioned EXO-CBX—an EXO subunit consisting of Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin—and their ongoing lawsuit against SM Entertainment for breach of contract. The internal report stated that EXO-CBX hired a "bad lawyer" due to which Baekhyun's reputation suffered while Chen and Xiumin were hardly seen anymore.
The internal report also claimed how SM Entertainment allegedly tried to use their ongoing conflict with EXO-CBX as an excuse for EXO's short promotion. However, the report alleging that Baekhyun went live at 7 AM, to do morning stretches to show his "natural side" to his fans was a reference taken from BTS' Jungkook's Weverse livestream. It further added,
"He went live on Instagram at 7 in the morning to do stretches on the foam roller. He was always known to be good at communicating with fans, but it's difficult to deny that he probably thought of going this far as to show his 'natural side' to fans after referencing Jungkook."
Moreover, the label stated that although EXO fans attempted to make Baekhyun's live broadcast go viral online, however, his hashtags were blocked on X. Eventually, Baekhyun and D.O.'s fanbases ended up fighting each other due to which EXO's revival as a group online suffered.
On October 29, 2024, HYBE fired the Weverse director who reportedly compiled and created the internal report. The company's CEO, Lee Jae-sang, apologized for the scandalous report and asserted it was just a compilation of fan remarks.
