Amid the growing backlash over HYBE’s reports which became controversial because it contains highly critical evaluations of other idols’ appearances, it was revealed on the 30th that HYBE Chairman Bang Sihyuk had directly instructed senior executives to distribute this document. The dismissal of former head of Weverse Magazine, Kang Myungseok, who was reportedly involved in the creation of the reports, raises possibility regarding Chairman Bang’s responsibility in the matter.
According to an email obtained by Hankyoreh dated 6 January 2022, Bang Sihyuk replied to a “Weekly Music Industry Report III” shared by Kang Myungseok, requesting, “Please add Zico to the document distribution list.” The recipients of the email included Kim Jooyoung, who was then Chief Human Resources Officer and now CEO of HYBE subsidiary ADOR.
Rapper Zico, who is also a former member of Block B, was added as a recipient because KOZ Ent., the agency he founded in 2018, was acquired by HYBE in November 2020. Since Zico is now the representative of HYBE’s sub-label, he became a part of the report’s recipient list. This report is published every week and sent to HYBE’s C-level executives and label heads. A source suggested, “Zico wasn’t initially included after the acquisition, perhaps due to concerns about his reaction as an artist himself.”
On 28 June 2023, Bang Sihyuk sent an email to Kang Myunseok, saying “Please add ㅇㅇ (to the report’s distribution list)”, to which Kang Myungseok responded, “Yes, he has been added.”
As it is revealed that Bang Sihyuk was directly involved in overseeing the report’s contents and managed the recipients, he may face further responsibility. HYBE has already let go of Kang Myungseok from his position on the 29th. HYBE’s CEO, Lee Jaesang, publicly apologized, saying “The document was compiled to gather various responses and public opinions on industry trends and issues. While it was shared only with a limited number of leadership members for the purpose of understanding the public opinion of the market and among fans, the content of the document was highly inappropriate. On behalf of the company, I acknowledge the wrongdoing and feel responsible for the report that contained provocative expressions towards K-pop artists, the subjective views and personal judgment of the document’s author, and the fact that such content was documented.”
HYBE has since stated that they have no additional comments beyond CEO Jaesang Lee’s public apology regarding the emails exchanged between Bang Sihyuk and Kang Myungseok.
https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/028/0002713839?sid=103
-It’s so unbelievable how Bang Sihyuk is trying to cut ties after causing all this messㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I feel like this company is the root of all evil in Kpop.
-Considering this document circulated only among top executives, I figured Zico would be a recipient too.
-ㅋㅋㅋ It’s all starting to get revealed now.
-He was an idol before he got into his current position now, though… Wow…
-I’m not even surprised at all…
-The fact that Min Heejin was the only one who raised concerns is both surprising and unsurprising.
-I mean… This guy has a history from even his Cyworld days…
-HYBE is truly a force of evil. Destroy them.
-I wonder if he’s still going to try deny it…
-Told y’all that they’re all in this together.
-To me, this sounds like they’re trying to shift the blame onto Zico, though…
-Bang Sihyuk is so pathetic. What is he doing now? Doing a hamburger mukbang in the US?
