On October 15, the Environment and Labor Committee of South Korea’s National Assembly held a hearing on allegations of bullying by idols and workplace harassment. ADOR CEO Ju Young Kim, representing HYBE, the country’s leading entertainment company, appeared as a witness to answer questions from lawmakers. In particular, during this hearing, HYBE was accused of covering up the death of one of its employees.
In particular, Progressive Party member Jeong Hye-kyung questioned CEO Ju Young Kim, asking whether it is true that an employee collapsed while working in the office in February 2022, was taken to hospital, and later died.
In response, Ju Young Kim admitted that an employee had indeed passed away due to health issues at the time, stating: “As far as I know, this incident occurred in September 2022. The employee collapsed while working and we took him to the hospital. Unfortunately, they died a few days later due to personal health conditions.”
However, Jeong Hye-kyung countersued, claiming that the Environment and Labor Committee regarded the case as a death from overwork. According to the Progressive Party member, at the time of the employee’s death, HYBE was expanding its operations and establishing numerous subsidiaries. This led to a situation where an employee had to manage several idol groups at the same time, including overseas schedules, resulting in excessive overtime and inadequate rest.
Jeong Hye-kyung suspected that HYBE had covered up the employee’s death and noted that no industrial accident compensation claims had been filed with the Korean Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service after the employee’s death, which seemed unusual.
“It appears that this is a case of death due to overwork. Was there a cover-up?” Jeong Hye-kyung asked.
Ju Young Kim immediately denied the allegations, stating“There was no cover-up.” The CEO explained that the decision not to perform an autopsy was taken by the family of the deceased.
However, Jeong Hye-kyung countered that the CEO’s explanation seemed like an excuse to downplay the issue, stating: «Even reaching an agreement with the family of the deceased is a form of cover-up. We ask your company to verify and provide us with an accurate incident report.”
After the hearing, someone claiming to be a former colleague of the late HYBE employee sparked further controversy by accusing the entertainment company of hiding the true cause of death.
“He did not die of a personal illness. At that time he was still young. Many colleagues attended his commemoration and funeral. It is ridiculous to say that no industrial accident compensation claims have been made. How could the deceased do such a thing?”this person said.
The allegations have caused an uproar in South Korea. Many have pointed out that working night shifts and dying from overwork is not uncommon in the entertainment industry, although the issue has rarely been addressed so far. Authorities are continuing to investigate these allegations to determine whether HYBE concealed the employee’s death due to overwork.
In 2024, HYBE has been in the media spotlight not for its results or revenue, but for controversies and dark truths. The major entertainment company has been embroiled in legal disputes and power struggles with Min Hee Jin, the woman behind NewJeans.
Additionally there was also the shocking news that intern Camila Sterling (24) had died of an overdose after spending the night with an executive from HYBE America. Additionally, many of the company’s top idols suffered from relentless schedules, which led to frequent injuries.
Source: K14, Nate
