Alleged Involvement of Bang Sihyuk? No comments from HYBE!
HYBE officially apologized for the HYBE internal documents that evaluated the appearance of other artists, including SM, JYP, YG, Starship and Cube Entertainment. On the other hand, the agency did not express itsposition on the alleged involvement of Chairman Bang Sihyuk.
Lee Jae-sang, CEO of HYBE, admitted on the 29th, “I bow down to artists, industry officials, and fans for our monitoring document pointed out in the national audit,” adding, “The HYBE internal document was written in the process of collecting responses and public opinions on industry trends and issues afterwards. It was shared only with some leadership (high-ranking executives) for the purpose of grasping market and artist fan public opinion, but the contents were inappropriate.”
CEO Lee Jaesang apologized, saying, “We acknowledge all wrongs and take responsibility on behalf of the company for the provocative and primary expressions toward K-pop artists, the addition of the author’s individual views and evaluations, and the fact that the contents remain in writing. In particular, we are very sorry and miserable about the situation in which innocent artists and members are misunderstood and damaged.”
Earlier on the 24th, Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea disclosed the existence and some of the contents of the document during a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. This HYBE internal document caused a stir by showing stark appearance reviews of idol singers from other agencies. In addition, he received strong criticism from the ruling and opposition party members for his opinion during the parliamentary inspection.
Victims have also made remarks criticizing the decision. “I chose this job as a celebrity, so I have to endure it because I am loved a lot,” wrote Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN, a member of the HYBE-affiliated label Pledis Entertainment, on Instagram.
Seungkwan then pointed out, “At least the colleagues and friends I know who are working hard together in the big industry of K-pop, including our members, are people who love this job purely,” adding, “I want to say this clearly. They are not people who have been so easy and gentle that they can be judged easily by you.”
To read about SVT Seungkwan’s Instagram Post FULL TRANSLATION> SVT Seungkwan criticize HYBE internal documents? FULL TRANSLATION of 29th post
Meanwhile, suspicions have been raised that Chairman Bang Sihyuk of HYBE was also involved in writing the document. It has not been confirmed whether he ordered Bang to write the document, but as circumstantial evidence has emerged that a new partner (executive) was added to the recipient of the document, some point out that it was at least implicitly allowed to do so. In response, a source at HYBE said, “It is difficult to express the position.”
Bang Si Hyuk (Hitmanbang) X account https://x.com/hitmanb
