Zico recently faced controversy surrounding his alleged access to HYBE’s “music industry report.” THE CEO of KOZ Entertainment spoke after supposedly having been sent copies of the controversial HYBE document.
Zico denies having access to the controversial HYBE document
In an Instagram story posted to his account, Zico wrote: “I never saw the document in question, nor did I ever open the email itself.“
“I only found out I was added as a recipient through today’s report,” he added. “To avoid further misunderstandings, I asked KOZ directly to verify that I had not opened any emails or documents and they confirmed this.“
How did Zico get involved?
The matter came to light during an audit of the National Assembly on October 24, in which it emerged that HYBE executives had circulated an 18,000-page document containing disparaging comments, unverified rumors, and details of planned viral marketing tactics targeting artists from rival agencies such as SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment. About 20 pages of the report were leaked online, triggering public backlash and an apology from HYBE CEO Lee Jae Sang on October 29.
On October 30, the controversy deepened when the media Hankyoreh published details implicating HYBE president Bang Si Hyuk. According to email records obtained by Hankyoreh, Bang Si Hyuk had personally requested that Zico be added as a recipient of the weekly report.
The emails indicate this January 6, 2022Bang directed the author of the report, Kang Myung Seokformer head of Weverse magazineto ensure Zico received the document. The list of report recipients is already included HYBE’s senior executives and C-level leaders of its controlled labelsincluded Kim Joo Youngwho was then the Human resources manager and is currently CEO of ADOR.
As the CEO of KOZ Entertainment, operating under HYBE, Zico would therefore be included among those who received the “music industry report”. However, Zico clarified that although he was added to the distribution list, he did not actively participate in reviewing or approving the content. In his statement, he stressed that he was not involved in compiling or approving any comments within the report and expressed his disappointment with the contents of the report.highlighting the importance of integrity and mutual respect in the industry.
