HYBE accused of cult association, concept theft, & more, label issues statement

On April 28, 2024, several rumors spread across South Korean social media platforms and community forums, accusing HYBE was associated with a cult association, concept theft, and more during its ongoing feud with ADOR's CEO, Min Hee-jin.

In response to the ongoing accusations against the HYBE, the record label stated to the South Korean media outlet Sports Donga and released a statement:

"We will look into the matter."

Recently, HYBE has accused Min Hee-jin of hatching a conspiracy to acquire independent management rights of ADOR, stealing sensitive and financial documents, and providing its access to outsiders. The agency started an audit and instructed her to step down from the position of CEO.

In response, she denied the allegations and conducted a press conference, which worsened the situation. Subsequently, HYBE stated they had no intention of responding to Min Hee-jin's statements and requested her to return information assets and respond to the audit immediately.

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HYBE allegedly accused of promoting the message of cult association Dahn World through their groups

Featuring BTS (Image via Bighit/X)

Because of ongoing rumors against HYBE's alleged association with the cult association Dahn World, Bang Si-hyuk was accused of promoting its message through groups, including GFRIEND and LEE SEERAFIM.

The netizens have linked that the Dahn World and HYBE are connected because of its founder, Lee Seungheon. He has also founded the Global Cyber University, where six out of seven members of BTS have studied and obtained their degrees.

However, many other K-pop artists have also graduated from elite universities because of its smooth admission process and virtual classes, as they do not have time to attend regular colleges. Thus, the alleged association of Dahn World with the HYBE because BTS members attended the University established by its founder seems far-fetched.

Dahn World believes in the concept that man and god do not share any individual identity and are a singular entity. The people who believe in the Dahn World worship the goddess Mago.

An X user @guiltyarchive claimed that Mago has been used by HYBE while promoting the message of the cult association through their groups.

The X user's update on HYBE's alleged use of LE SSERAFIM and GFRIEND has been garnering widespread attention from the K-pop community as it has 59.9 million views and 25.1k reposts at the time of writing.

The user has driven connections that with the use of GFRIEND's last album 回:Walpurgis Night and its leading track Mago, HYBE has allegedly spread the message of Dahn World, as the cult association's goddess name is also Mago. Walpurgis Night is the eve of the Christian feast day commemorated on the night of April 30 and May 1 by German Christians every year. The tradition is performed for various purposes, including tackling rabies, pests, whooping cough, and witchcraft.

According to the X user, GFRIEND's disbandment in May and LE SEERAFIM's debut in the same month was allegedly used by HYBE to spread the message of Dahn World. The tweet claimed GFRIEND was disbanded on May 1 on the Walpurgis Night when the witches were burned and alleged that LE SSERAFIM debuted after a year on May 2, symbolizing the day when angels debuted. User @guiltyarchive tweeted:

"There's a really scary story about Hibe. GFRIEND album name= Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night= Day of Burning Witches. GFRIEND disbandment date May 1st, LE SSERAFIM debut May 2nd. The day after the witch was burned (disbanded) and seraphim (angel) debuted. There is a one-year interval, but I said that for ease of understanding."

According to the Sports Donga outlet, the HYBE has been allegedly accused of concept theft by Duri, the editor of ZUZU. She stated that Bang Si-hyuk had stolen her 'wet' and 'soft, but romantic' concepts and used them for BTS's hit album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life concept photoshoot.

Featuring Min Hee-jin and Bang Si-hyuk (Image via minheejin and hitman72/Instagram)

There were also accusations against the corporation for the alleged chart manipulation of BTS's mini-album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, which increased the group's popularity in 2015. As the accusations surfaced all over social media platforms, the fandom has been divided into opinions.

While some believe that because of the agency's alleged association with the cult Dahn World, Min Hee-jin wanted to leave the agency, others believe someone from Min Hee-jin's side is playing another conspiracy against the agency.

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Big Hit Music's latest statement to protect BTS against the increasing malicious comments

Many false allegations and misleading facts have been spreading about BTS, to which Big Hit Music has responded through a press release on Weverse and stated,

"We wish to update you on the legal proceedings being taken to protect BTS members' rights. It has come to our attention that organizational efforts aimed at tarnishing and slandering the artists have escalated in recent weeks."

"Furthermore, malicious attempts to defame, humiliate, and ridicule the artists or spread rumors and groundless information have become excessive. The company views these actions as a severe violation of the artists' rights and will respond decisively, engaging with another law firm to reinforce our existing legal measures."

"We are collecting evidence of malicious postings through real-time monitoring as we speak. We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy and pursue this matter rigorously, without leniency or settlements."

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The K-pop community is eagerly awaiting HYBE's statement regarding the allegations, including its cult association, concept theft, chart manipulation, and more.