MOVES addressed the audience regarding the recent controversy surrounding a leaked “internal report on the music industry.” The company is new CEO Lee Jae Sang released a long statement on the matter controversial internal document.
HYBE CEO addresses controversial internal document
On October 29, Lee Jae Sang addressed the shocking document containing several harmful comments about K-pop artists from other companies. In his statement, Lee Jae Sang expressed deep regret over the situation, underlining HYBE’s commitment to maintaining professional standards in the industry. He acknowledged the inappropriateness of the content and promised to take internal measures to ensure that such an incident does not happen again, with the aim of restoring the trust of both artists and fans.
“This document was created as part of a process to retrospectively gather various public reactions and opinions on industry trends and issues. While it was only meant to be shared with a limited number of leaders to understand market and fan sentiments, the content was highly inappropriate. The document contained provocative and explicit expressions aimed at K-pop artists, included the author’s personal opinions and evaluations, and was preserved in written form.
“As a representative of the company, I acknowledge all errors and take full responsibility for them. I am particularly sorry and distressed by the unfounded suspicions of reverse viral marketing that are not true at all, causing misunderstanding and harm to innocent artists and individuals.
“I formally and respectfully apologize to the external artists mentioned in the document who have suffered harm and inconvenience. We are also contacting each agency individually to offer our apologies directly. Furthermore, I sincerely extend my official apology to all artists of HYBE Music Group who have been subjected to criticism because of the company.”
“I acknowledge the lack of awareness on the part of management who received the document and, as CEO, I immediately blocked the creation of such monitoring documents. I promise to establish guidelines and strengthen internal controls to prevent such problems from happening again,” he added.
What’s in the shocking document?
During the Audit of the Culture, Sport and Tourism Commission of the National Assembly on October 24, HYBE was discovered to be circulating a weekly document containing sensitive and allegedly harmful comments about artists from rival agencies like SM Entertainment, JYP entertainmentYG Entertainment and others. This document, for a total of approx 18,000 pages reportedly contained disparaging comments about other artists’ appearance and abilities, unverified rumors, and discussions of potential viral marketing strategies aimed at undermining competitors.
Approximately 20 pages of this document were leaked entirely online, causing a significant public outcry. It didn’t take long for netizens to start talking about the shocking content. Other idols also addressed criticism in the document.
In the meantime, SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan expressed his response on Instagramshowing solidarity with those affected and condemning complaints. Fans and the public continue to demand accountability, urging transparency and change in the industry’s internal practices.
