“Wonder why they never do it for any of their artists” — HYBE faces backlash over request to remove Bang Si-hyuk’s picture with influencers in LA

On August 8, 2024, a video of HYBE's chairman, Bang Si-hyuk, surfaced online that showed him strolling through the streets of Los Angeles with two female influencers. The YouTube channel, I am WalKing, uploaded the clip on August 7. One of the influencers was Broadcast Jockey (BJ) Juice Seyeon, who has a massive following on AfreecaTV, and is also in the Netflix series The Influencer.

At around 44 seconds into the video, Bang Si-hyuk was seen crossing the pedestrian with the two influencers in Beverly Hills, California. Netizens were stunned to see the footage, and the clip went viral online, inviting massive criticism towards the HYBE chairman.

Furthermore, on several Korean online forums, the clip and pictures of Bang Si-hyuk were reportedly taken down due to invasion of privacy as requested by HYBE. Koreaboo reported that the sites displayed the following text:

“We inform you that the publication has been taken down to comply with Article 44-2 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. 'Reason: Invasion of privacy of Chairman Bang Si Hyuk.' 'Requested by: HYBE.'"

They highlighted HYBE's quick response in defending the chairman compared to their alleged slow response when it comes to defending their artists. One online user wrote on X,

"Oh, wow, that's fast. so, Hybe can get qoo posts taken down. Wonder why they never do it for any of their artists."

Both HYBE and Bang Si-hyuk came under fire as netizens lashed out at them. They criticized Bang Si-hyuk for allegedly meeting controversial influencers, who were in their early twenties.

"That's kinda true though but as long as i knew i think there's once said that anything private that the artist did, the company won't meddle unless it's serious, idk," one netizen wrote.

"Fr where was this energy when taehyun got pictures and videos taken of him?!" another X user questioned.

"What kind of privacy? A picture on a public street? Is it a sign that he has something with these girls? What are they afraid of..." one other X user said.

Several netizens mocked Chairman Bang Si-hyuk's attire and also questioned his silence when NewJeans' rookie trainee videos were allegedly leaked by Dispatch and HYBE.

"Why is he wearing a shirt two sizes too small he's a millionaire he can afford a better shirt," one netizen remarked.

"One of the BTS member got into a controversy, and now their CEO got caught into this...ohhhh this aint looking good," another netizen added.

"Bang sihyuk responded so quickly to his own matter, how come he responded so slowly to the matter of leaking NJ's privacy?" one other X user said.

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HYBE chairman gets embroiled in a controversy with alleged scandalous influencers

On August 8, 2024, HYBE issued a statement and stated that Bang Si-hyuk came across the influencers in LA and had a conversation. They said,

"While meeting with acquaintances, he ran into the older of the two and gave her advice on how to handle entertainment imposters. Afterwards, they came to LA together and asked about tourist attractions and restaurants, so he guided them and made reservations."

Netizens also highlighted how HYBE has been the subject of several controversies lately. On August 7, 2024, they faced another backlash when BTS' Min Yoongi, aka Suga, was penalized for drunk driving an electric kickboard. The K-pop sensation was spotted by a police officer in front of the idol's Hannam-dong mansion.

Suga was reportedly trying to park the electric kickboard in front of his house when he tripped over. News 1 reported that the police took a breathalyzer test and Suga's blood alcohol level was reportedly around 0.08%, which caused his license to be suspended for a few days.

BTS' Suga immediately posted an apology on Weverse and took accountability for being unaware of the laws about riding electric kickboards in South Korea. He mentioned that nobody was injured as the incident occurred in front of his house. The K-pop star is serving in the South Korean military and was on a day's leave.

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In other news, BTS Jimin and Jungkook's travel show, Are You Sure?!, aired its first two episodes on Disney+ on August 8, 2024. Episode 3 will be released on August 15.