During MOVESof the audit which took place on 15 October 2024, I LOVE ITis the new CEO, Ju Young Kimwas questioned about a 2022 incident, now known as HYBE served (death due to overwork) accident.
The case was discovered through the audit investigation and HYBE was criticized for trying to cover it up. During the audit, Kim claimed that the death was due to the deceased “personal illness” and don’t work.
HYBE suspected of trying to hide the death of an employee due to overwork
Yes, from what I understand, in September 2022, an employee went to the break room around 5pm, saying he was going to rest. Unfortunately they passed out and we found them in the break room and transferred them to the hospital. They died a few days later due to their personal illness. It’s an unfortunate case.
—Ju Young Kim
On November 8, 2024 (KST), however, Bizhankook gave an interview with a member of HYBE, identified as “a current employee who has worked there for several years,” although their affiliate label has not been disclosed for their protection. The Q&A format interview discussed the working environment at HYBE at the time, providing more information on how served took place.
Q. During the National Assembly audit on October 15, HYBE faced accusations of “covering up a case of servedIt was alleged that, in 2022, when HYBE was undergoing aggressive branch expansion, an employee died due to overwork. It was further stated that HYBE deemed the death to be due to a pre-existing illness and did not file a workers’ compensation claim. Are you aware of this incident?
A. Yes, there were rumors circulating in the company. I didn’t know the missing employee personally, but I know his story. The first time I heard about them was when I saw a company-wide notice about their demise. It caught my attention because it was a notice about someone’s death. There were speeches like: “He was a served” and “It happened in the break room,” and so on. I think there was even an article about it, though it was later removed. After listening to the talk, I remember thinking, “It’s certainly possible.”
The insider believed served to be “certainly possible” at HYBE because of how intense the workload had been for everyone at the time.
Q. Why did you think this was possible?
A. Because I was exhausted too. It was during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was working at BIGHIT MUSIC. My teammates and I joked that we would rather get COVID than continue working the way we were. It was tough. The workload was simply unreasonable.
Q. What was the workload like?
A. Even before served accident, people were severely exhausted. For example, we would start production the same night we got an idea. We would have had no choice but to work all night until well after dawn. It was fine though. No one really complained about this. But once production was finished, around 5-6am, we would expect to be sent home to rest. We couldn’t. Once the result is sent, we should be waiting to make the requested changes. So we all stayed up for several nights in a row. It was inefficient.
Then, sharing a personal experience from his time at BIGHIT MUSIC, the insider said there were colleagues who seemed “visibly uncomfortable” even taking short naps in the relaxation rooms between the endless hours.
One day I managed to get home a little early, around 6:30, after my production was approved rather quickly. I thought to myself, “I can finally get some rest.” My plan was to get some sleep and get back to work later in the afternoon. But that’s when I got a call from the office. They told me to come back as soon as possible to work on the next production. If I hadn’t returned, the workload would have fallen on my teammates. So I had no choice. I returned immediately. I worked until 9 in the morning and then I couldn’t take it anymore. The company had a relaxation room with massage chairs. Some teammates and I took two-hour naps in those massage chairs. But we felt guilty about it. We were anxious. Some colleagues were visibly uncomfortable. That’s how things were. Once we got to the office, we couldn’t go home for 3-4 days. We just worked our butts off.
– Internal
The insider pointed out that, with no regulations in place, long hours had become expected, even if overtime compensation was not. And after a month of working around the clock, the insider had lost over 22 pounds (10 kilograms).
Q. What were the regulations on working hours?
A. At that time, the 52-hour work week had not been implemented. So the guidelines varied by label. Some people got paid overtime, some didn’t.
Q. Are production schedules not aligned with album releases?
A. Exactly, and the established production schedule has never been a problem. The problem was getting things approved in time to keep up with that schedule. There were a lot of things that didn’t make sense. Approvals from top management would continue to be rejected, but without clear reasons. Sometimes, after all the editing, we went back to selecting the initial version. In short, the entire operation was inefficient. I lost 10 kilograms in the first month I started working.
Some changes have occurred since then. The insider added “the system is a little different now”, however, it is unclear whether Pres Bang Si Hyuk it had nothing to do with the changes.
Q. How is work at HYBE now?
A. The system is a little different now. I’m not sure if Bang Si Hyuk was aware of the situation at the time, but one thing is clear. There’s definitely a difference between the labels he personally oversees and the ones he doesn’t.
In response to questions about the points raised in the interview, HYBE explained that this is the case “using all available measures to comply with current labor laws.” HYBE also highlighted that it has since introduced unlimited paid holidays and flexible working hours policies to enable its employees to create a self-regulated working environment.
Meanwhile, Koreans continue to demonstrate to revoke HYBE’s “Top Enterprise” status. Read more about the petition here:
Korean netizens start a viral petition to revoke HYBE’s “Top Company” status
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