On October 12, a post was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Team Bunnies account, a prominent account representing NewJeans fans in Korea, stating: “On October 10 and 24, Bang Si-hyuk was scheduled to be appointed as a witness for the audit of the Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism of the National Assembly, but due to his stay in the United States, he was not selected as the final witness.”
They added, “However, unresolved suspicions related to HYBE during the hearing on October 7 led to the final decision to summon Kim Tae-ho, chief operating officer (COO) of HYBE, as a witness to face further investigation.”
The post continued: “As the witness selection process for the 2024 audit of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly has been completed, we ask you to refrain from requesting further witness requests in order to focus attention on the preparation of the audit . Thank you”
On a sarcastic note, the post concluded: “Bang Si-hyuk, who is apparently too busy to attend the audit, seems to have time to chat and eat burgers with women half his age in the United States,” along with a photo showing Bang smiling while sitting at a table with a woman.
After seeing Team Bunnies’ statement, netizens responded with comments like “He should focus on running the company,” AND “While the company is in chaos, female idols suffer from hateful comments, and a person’s future activities are uncertain, the president casually enjoys himself.”
On the other hand, last month, NewJeans member Hanni revealed during a live broadcast that a harassment incident had occurred inside the HYBE building. A Belift Lab manager was allegedly overheard telling another artist to “ignore” Hanni.
Belift Lab denied the allegations, prompting mothers of NewJeans members to give interviews to clarify their position.
On October 10, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly confirmed the list of witnesses for the audit scheduled for October 22 and 24, including Belift Lab CEO and HYBE COO Kim Tae-ho.
Kim Tae-ho is expected to face questions over the treatment of artists and management rights issues between HYBE and NewJeans’ agency, ADOR.
Previously, Team Bunnies had sent faxes and emails to members of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, urging them to include HYBE’s executive team, including Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, CEO Lee Jae- sang and communications manager Park Tae-hee. , in the list of witnesses for the audit.
Initially, a committee official indicated that it was a “sensitive matter” and the committee had no intention of summoning HYBE officials. However, this changed when Hanni announced his intention to participate in the audit of the National Assembly for the Economic, Social and Labor Council and the Ministry of Employment and Labor on 15 October.
Team Bunnies also filed legal complaints against HYBE and ADOR officials.
Source: Nate
