Fans Blame HYBE for Aespa Hate Train After 2022 Coachella Performance Document Leak

Fans of the SM Entertainment group, aespa, have made serious allegations against HYBE, claiming that the latter orchestrated a smear campaign and fostered negativity towards the girl group following their performance at Coachella in 2022.

On October 24, Kim Tae-ho, the CEO of BELIFT LAB and COO of HYBE, testified at a comprehensive audit conducted by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. During this session, he addressed inquiries regarding the conglomerate and its subsidiary.

Representative Min Hyung-bae from the Democratic Party of Korea presented an internal document from the agency referred to as ‘Industry Trends Data’, as reported by ET News.

This document drew considerable interest as it allegedly contained derogatory remarks and criticisms directed at K-pop artists and groups associated with rival labels such as SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. At the audit, CEO Kim Tae-ho clarified the nature of the internal document by stating:

“We closely monitor public sentiment about the artists associated with HYBE and the K-pop music scene as a whole. This should not be interpreted as the agency’s official stance, but rather a collection of various online articles.”

Fans on TheQoo platform discovered a purported commentary related to aespa’s Coachella performance in 2022, which was met with backlash due to claims of subpar vocal execution during their international show. Following the reported leak of the document, supporters of aespa are convinced that HYBE played a significant role in the negative sentiments directed at the group that year, prompting many to express their views on social media.

“It’s not surprising that HYBE had a hand in all the criticism aespa faced during their Coachella performance, especially when they executed live singing perfectly while executing their choreography—now, karma seems to be catching up with them,”remarked one fan.

“They forced aespa to apologize on bbl, the level of hatred they endured was unbelievable, Karina even stated, ‘I’ll always give my best to ensure you don’t hear any negative comments.’ Their stage presence was stellar, both vocally and in their dance routines,” a fan pointed out.

“The hate train post-Coachella, cancellation of music shows during every aespa comeback, the Melon app crashing during the Spicy era, and a flood of negative articles released prior to aespa’s comeback—we all know who is behind this, and even without these hearings, my fellow fans were aware,” commented one user.

Fans continued to voice their disapproval towards the agency, adamantly accusing it of orchestrating smear tactics to undermine aespa’s musical journey.

“It’s more ironic to hear them say that fans lead hate campaigns against specific groups when it’s clear that actual HYBE staff are instigating these hate trains,” stated a user.

“They shout ‘imaginary hater syndrome in K-pop must end,’ yet there’s hard evidence that HYBE has long desired to dethrone aespa,” a fan declared.

“So, HYBE is behind the Coachella hate and the negativity towards aespa… I wonder how they felt when aespa released Spicy and turned public perception in their favor,” a fan mused.

Criticism of HYBE COO Kim Tae-ho Following Internal Document Statement During Audit

Following significant backlash from netizens regarding the internal document, which allegedly reflected public sentiments about other agencies, HYBE released a statement at approximately 7 PM KST on October 24, warning those responsible for the leak.

“The disputed data is merely a direct transcription of responses from social media and online communities, and we will pursue legal action against those who disseminated these provocative materials to portray HYBE as the author of harmful comments about artists,” the statement asserted.

This announcement infuriated lawmakers, especially since it emerged amidst an active hearing. Chairman Jeon Jae-soo reportedly admonished Kim Tae-ho, remarking:

“Given that the state audit is currently ongoing and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee is in the midst of questioning witnesses, how can the company issue a statement that undermines the integrity of the audit? What sort of irresponsible response is this from a leading corporation in K-content in Korea? Is the National Assembly’s authority that trivial?”

HYBE is a prominent multi-label entertainment giant under which several subsidiaries operate, including BIGHIT MUSIC, SOURCE MUSIC, PLEDIS Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, ADOR, and BELIFT LAB.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has summoned the company in light of accusations regarding the manipulation of album sales. At the same time, BELIFT LAB has been called in for allegations related to the appropriation of concepts from NewJeans for ILLIT.

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