Over the last few days, HYBE has been facing massive backlash after the label's internal report went viral across social media. Now, HYBE’s CEO Lee Jae-sang has issued an official apology.
HYBE's CEO apologises for label's 'inappropriate' internal report
On October 29, HYBE’s CEO Lee Jae-sang apologized to artists, industry officials as well as fans for the label’s ‘monitoring documents’ that were pointed out by the National Assembly Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism during a recent audit.
Lee Jae-sang stated that the document was just a collection of public opinions on industry trends and issues. However, he acknowledged that the content was highly inappropriate. "We take full responsibility for the inflammatory language directed at K-pop idols, the addition of the author's personal views and evaluations, and the fact that the content was left as a document," he said, before adding, "In particular, we are deeply sorry and deeply distressed that innocent artists and members of the company have been misunderstood and harmed by the reverse viral allegations, which are completely untrue."
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The HYBE CEO revealed the label's plans to reach out and apologise to each agency separately. He also stated that he had immediately stopped the creation of the monitoring document following the audit. "On behalf of the company, I would like to assure you that we will thoroughly improve our past mistakes through self-reflection and introspection, and do our best to ensure the healthy development of the K-pop industry by prioritizing the rights and interests of all K-pop artists and respect for our fans," he concluded.
About HYBE's internal report
During the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee audit on October 24, HYBE were questioned about a weekly music industry report that is circulated among the label’s executives. Totaling up to over 18000 pages, the document included harsh remarks about the looks and skills of artists from SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment and more labels. The reports also included unverified rumours, plans for viral marketing tactics against idols from other companies and more.