Fans Outraged as Bang Si-hyuk Allegedly Involved in Controversial HYBE Internal Document Leak

On October 29, 2024, Daily Sports revealed that Bang Si-hyuk, the Chairman of HYBE, is reportedly implicated in the dissemination of a contentious internal report among the company’s senior officials. This extensive 18,000-page document was presented by Min Hyun-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, during the National Assembly audit on October 24.

The internal report allegedly contained negative remarks about various K-pop groups, including Stray Kids, BLACKPINK, IVE, NCT, NCT Dream, and others. It also suggested that HYBE may have been aware of the hostility directed towards BTS members Jimin, Jungkook, Taehyung, and the SEVENTEEN group.

KBIZoom further indicated that rumors concerning SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu and Jeon Somi’s dating were also reflected in the scandalous document.

This revelation prompted outrage among K-pop fans, who criticized HYBE for the internal report that made belittling remarks about Stray Kid’s Changbin’s stature and insinuated that BLACKPINK lacks the talent of LE SSERAFIM.

In response to the uproar, HYBE’s CEO, Lee Jae-sang, issued an apology on October 29, taking full responsibility for the situation and vowing that the company would take this matter seriously. Nonetheless, fans have also called for Bang Si-hyuk to be held accountable.

One fan expressed on X:

“He legit ruined everything.”

Social media users quickly took to X, voicing their frustration over seeing apologies from everyone except for Bang Si-hyuk.

“When will this man stop pushing random people out to face the consequences and start taking responsibility? Imagine how tired we are to see apologies from everyone but him,”a netizen commented.

“No wonder that back in August all articles about bsh and his girlies were deleted, while every defamatory article about Yoongi remained, and Hybe never took any actions against journalists spreading fake CCTV info, this stupid challenge, and other lies,”another user remarked.

“We pre-HYBE K-pop fans did try to warn others on how this man would ruin the industry but we were just called pressed and dramatic. We’ve been right all along and what we feared and predicted became all true. He’s like the supervillain of a movie and I can’t wait for his downfall,”a fan stated.

Many others echoed the sentiment that Bang Si-hyuk was directly linked to the drafting and distribution of the report since he is the founder and chairman of the organization.

“At this point if you STILL REFUSE TO BOYCOTT, you’re not just part of the problem. You ARE the problem. And we need to get rid of you just like we do with the parasites running these entertainment companies and exploiting their idols,”one fan urged.

“Of course he was aware and involved. Nothing happens in HYBE without his knowledge and veto. Whoever doubted this has never worked a day in their life in a corporation. I wonder why he has become so careless in his schemes to have been caught this way. Greed & power combo?”another fan questioned.

“Let’s not forget that the report included comments about minors so disgusting that the Assembly members refused to make them public. POS,”one user pointed out.

HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang’s Apology Regarding the Ongoing Controversy

On October 29, Daily Sports shared details about HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang, who took over as the label head in July 2024 after replacing Park Ji-won. He offered an apology concerning the internal document, stating that it was based on fan comments collected from social media.

Nonetheless, he conceded that the contents of the report were offensive and unsuitable. Furthermore, it was reported that the executive responsible for creating the document has been terminated on October 29. In his apology, Lee Jae-sang stated:

“I bow my head and apologize to our artists, industry insiders, and fans regarding our monitoring document. This document compiled various reactions and public opinions on industry trends and issues after the fact. It was shared with only some leadership…but the content was unacceptable.”

Lee further clarified that the creator of the internal report had included personal opinions, which were not removed during the review. He confirmed that he has been reaching out to other entertainment companies to extend personal apologies:

“I recognize all wrongdoings on behalf of our company and feel accountable for the inclusion of provocative and crude language aimed at K-pop artists, the addition of personal evaluations by the writer, and the fact that such content remained in the document. I am personally reaching out to each agency to offer my apologies.”

Amid the controversy, SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan took to Instagram to convey his dismay, emphasizing that artists should not be treated as mere commodities used to fit various narratives.

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