HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang issued an apology after the company's weekly report containing provocative material was spread to the public and drew criticism from various parties during the National Assembly audit some time ago. Through industry trend reports shared with company leaders every week, HYBE often makes provocative comments about other artists, including underage idols.
"Regarding our monitoring documents that were covered during the audit of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Sports, and Tourism on October 24, 2024, I sincerely apologize to the artists, industry stakeholders, and fans," Lee Jae-sang said in an official statement on the company's website.
The CEO also admitted that the contents of the document contained inappropriate words and were full of personal opinions regarding other idols. "Although it was intended to be shared only with a small number of leaders to understand market and fan sentiment, the content is extremely inappropriate.
The document contains provocative and explicit expressions directed at K-pop artists, along with the author's personal opinions and evaluations, and is stored in written form." Lee Jae-sang said that HYBE had contacted every agency whose idols were mentioned in the provocative report and apologized to them, including the artists under HYBE's subsidiaries.
At the end of the statement, Jae-sang again apologized to all parties, such as agencies, idols, and fans for the inappropriate things that have been circulating so far through their company's weekly industry trend report. The report contains insults revealed in the National Assembly audit some time ago.
Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea during the audit continued to grill HYBE COO Kim Tae-ho. Min Hyung-bae revealed HYBE's internal document titled Weekly Music Industry Report contains an overview of industry trends. She highlighted the use of harsh words in describing other idols, including their physical appearance.
The reviews are made weekly and shared with HYBE executives and their sub-labels. Phrases used include, "They debuted the members at an awkward age, none of their features stand out," "Their plastic surgery is excessive," and "The other members are so unattractive."
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