On November 9, Weverse Magazine published an apology statement on its official website.
“We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to those who care about Weverse Magazine due to issues related to the tracking document. We would like to clarify some points regarding this matter,” we read in the press release.
Weverse Magazine clarified that the “industry trends report” was “a document prepared separately by the former editor-in-chief, of which the Weverse Magazine team was unaware.”
They added: “Neither members of the Weverse Magazine team nor external writers involved in the production of the magazine participated in the creation of the tracking document.” They explained it further “The former editor-in-chief has been removed from his position and will no longer be involved with Weverse Magazine, and all personnel requested by the former editor-in-chief to monitor the work have also been suspended from duties.”
Weverse Magazine pointed out: “We have no connection to the tracking document in question and the Weverse Magazine team clearly opposes the document.”
The statement concluded “We apologize once again for the inconvenience and concern this situation has caused and promise to provide readers with even richer and deeper content in the future.”
Last month, during an audit of the National Assembly by the Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kim Tae-ho, COO of HYBE and CEO of BELIFT LAB, was cited as a witness. During the session, Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party revealed parts of an “industry trend review” document shared among HYBE executives. The report included derogatory comments regarding the appearance of idols from rival agencies, such as “they debuted when they were still in their awkward stage, so none of them look like an idol” and “the other members are incredibly unattractive”, sparking public indignation.
Full statement from Weverse magazine
“We at Weverse Magazine deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to our readers due to issues related to the tracking document.
To clarify some facts regarding this matter:
- The document was produced separately by the former editor-in-chief and the Weverse Magazine team was unaware of its existence.
- Aside from the former editor-in-chief, neither members of the Weverse Magazine team nor external collaborators involved in the production of the magazine participated in the creation of the tracking document.
- The former editor-in-chief has been relieved of his duties, with no further involvement in Weverse Magazine. The staff requested by the former editor-in-chief for monitoring duties also ceased their service.
Please be assured that Weverse Magazine has no connection to the tracking document in question and that our team strongly opposes it.
We apologize again for the concern this situation has caused and promise to provide even more in-depth and valuable content in the future.”
– Weverse magazine team
