5 Reasons Why HYBE Is Public Enemy #1 Right Now

HYBE Labels, the K-Pop powerhouse that began as the humble agency BIGHIT Entertainment, is coming under fire in 2024 for more reasons than one.

1. HYBE’s Feud with ADOR

HYBE is locked in a very public power struggle with its independent label, ADOR. ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has been accused of trying to usurp management rights to ADOR from HYBE, which has led to HYBE launching an audit against her, and more.

Public sentiment is, however, divided, with many siding with Min Hee Jin, who launched NewJeans.

2. Debuting Idols Who Do Not Meet K-Pop’s High Standards

Recently, a post on the online community Nate Pann went viral, having strongly resonated with Korean netizens. The original poster (OP) claimed HYBE is “ruining K-Pop” by pushing out trainees for debut within just a few months of training. In the past, it was extremely uncommon for trainees to debut with less than a year of training.

ILLIT’s Wonhee, for example, made her appearance on R U Next? with just a few weeks of training and was selected for debut. The OP stated that HYBE merely, “pushes out kids with lacking skills for mass production, while media playing that they are BTS’s dongsaeng groups.”

3. Plagiarism Accusations

Amidst her feud with HYBE, Min Hee Jin named several groups she believes copied NewJeans’ formula, including ILLIT. Many Korean netizens have taken the ADOR CEO’s side and pointed out the similarities between concept photos for NewJeans…

…and ILLIT.

Additionally, netizens have accused HYBE of plagiarizing artist Tyla for LE SSERAFIM’s song “Smart,” stealing the name of BLACKPINK Lisa‘s fandom, Lillies/Lilies, for ILLIT’s official fandom name, LILLY, and more.

4. HYBE‘s CEO Park Ji Won

Before joining HYBE, CEO Park Ji Won worked at Nexon Korea as COO. During that time, he came under fire for the game Sudden Attack 2. The game received massive backlash for oversexualizing its female characters by putting them in revealing outfits, sexually charged scenarios, and more.

A viral Weibo post brought this past controversy back into the spotlight recently. In response, some alarmed fans became worried about HYBE’s female artists.

This is why you shouldn't stan a campany. Save the girls in that company. https://t.co/Zi5dC6USZe pic.twitter.com/rQlq0rtBys

— LunaWinter (@Cristin1568358) April 27, 2024

5. Chart Manipulation

A resurfaced court ruling against an individual involved in extortion has the Korean public up in arms. It has reignited concerns over HYBE’s marketing practices associated with BTS. As such, netizens are now asking for HYBE to be thoroughly investigated.