HYBE Suspected Of Sabotaging RIIZE’s Seunghan By Using Rumored Past Connections

An audit is fueling speculation and theories about HYBE’s business practices.

HYBE has been accused of planning to sabotage idol groups under SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, including RIIZE. This comes after an audit with the National Assembly that took place on October 24, 2024.

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| HYBE

One of the internal documents disclosed during the audit revealed HYBE’s alleged plans to sabotage their competitors’ groups, including RIIZE, aespa, and NMIXX, via the media. These plans allegedly included circulating old photos of a RIIZE member.

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Document in an email from internal staff. | Channel A News

Earlier this month, former RIIZE member Seunghan returned to the group following a hiatus. His return was met with immense backlash due to Seunghan’s past controversies, which include a hotel rendevous, smoking, and smoking in public. Just days after his return was announced, Seunghan withdrew from RIIZE. Many fans, however, have rallied behind the idol and are against his removal.

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Seunghan | SM Entertainment

Now, in light of HYBE’s audit, some netizens believe that the company used past connections to Seunghan to sabotage his career. Seunghan was introduced as a member of SM Entertainment’s trainee team SMROOKIES in 2022, but persistent rumors claim that he is also a former Source Music trainee.

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| SM Entertainment

Although it’s unclear exactly when or how these rumors began, they might be connected, at least in part, to a post written by someone who claimed to be a former classmate of Seunghan. This person stated that the idol had been a trainee for seven years.

Seunghan was only a trainee under SM Entertainment for two and a half years before debuting with RIIZE. As such, he would have had to have been a trainee under a different company before joining SMROOKIES if he trained for seven years in total.

The rumor that Seunghan was once a Source Music trainee has now led some netizens to believe that HYBE could have had access to information about Seunghan’s past and used this information to sabotage him. HYBE acquired Source Music as a subsidiary in 2019.

HYBE released a statement in response to the alleged sabotage plans, which has now been deleted.

HYBE Posts Then Deletes Statement Addressing Accusations Of Sabotaging Other Companies’ Artists

HYBE Internal Documents Scandal

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