HYBE Is Criticized For Dragging Korea’s Painful History Into Feud With SM Entertainment
HYBE is facing backlash for likening Kakao‘s contract with SM Entertainment to the Eulsa Treaty, a historic treaty between Japan and Korea that saw Korea become a protectorate of Imperial Japan. A protectorate is a country that is controlled and protected by another.
Earlier, we reported that HYBE at created social media accounts under the handle “SMwithHYBE.” The handles were made for the company’s YouTube and Twitter accounts.
HYBE Opens Social Media Accounts Under The Handle “SMwithHYBE”
HYBE’s latest YouTube account uploaded several videos discussing the company’s vision for SM Entertainment’s growth as well as a proposal to shareholders. The videos seem to be in direct response to SM Entertainment’s videos lamenting HYBE’s recent acquisition of the company’s largest stake.
In one of the videos, HYBE is seen likening SM Entertainment’s deal with Kakao to Korea’s 1905 Eulsa Treaty with Japan.
The Eulsa Treaty between Korea and Japan is also known as Eulsa Unwilling Treaty, and it deprived Korea of its sovereignty and made Korea a protectorate of Imperial Japan.
The treaty paved the way for the annexation of Korea by the Japanese and began an era in which Korea was colonized by the Japanese. It is considered one of the most painful moments in Korean history.
Koreans, therefore, expressed discomfort over HYBE, likening a business deal to one of Korea’s darkest hours. To make matters worst, the video was uploaded on March 2, just one day after Korea’s March 1 national holiday honoring the March 1st Independence Movement, in which Koreans staged their largest protest calling for independence from Japan.
Netizens criticized HYBE for its poor choice of words, with many criticizing the label for seemingly likening themselves to the independence fighters who are freeing SM Entertainment.
- “I don’t think it’s right to drag Korea’s history into this.”
- “They are seriously going way overboard.”
- “Do they even know what the Eulsa Treaty is? Their own artists seem to even know…”
- “Even if HYBE themselves aren’t the first to liken the deal to the Eulsa Treaty, why are they using the language used by idiots in online communities on an official video?”
- “They’ve gone mad from their greed for SM Entertainment.”
- “They first ridiculed SM Entertainment executives for acting as if they are independent fighters, but now it seems that HYBE is the one living in a fantasy in which they are freeing SM Entertainment.”
Stay tuned for updates.
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