A promo image for Hybe’s Weverse superfan app, which is welcoming non-K-pop acts including Megan Thee Stallion. Photo Credit: Hybe
Multiple weeks and angry fan responses later, Hybe is still grappling with fallout stemming from the leak of an internal document containing criticism of rival K-pop firms’ talent.
This newest twist in the increasingly convoluted episode arrived in the form of an official statement from Weverse Magazine. Predictably, given that it bears the name of Hybe’s Weverse superfan platform, the comparatively little-discussed publication covers “everything K-pop,” the relevant website shows.
Following the point to its logical conclusion, the magazine relies heavily on the support of K-pop diehards, who are evidently ticked off about the mentioned criticism. Expressed in a roughly 18,000-page working document, that criticism, reportedly circulated among higher-ups before leaking, made a media splash after South Korean lawmakers grilled Hybe COO Kim Tae-ho on the subject.
As we reported in late October, the internal document, focusing at the top level on K-pop trends, allegedly encompassed detailed scrutiny of non-Hybe acts’ physical appearances. Some of the appearance-related remarks were directed towards individuals under the age of 18, regional outlets indicated.
At the outset, the same regional outlets relayed that Hybe had simply reassigned the report’s author (whose name wasn’t disclosed in the media) to a different position in the company. A few key developments emerged on the heels of this early coverage as well as an apology from CEO Lee Jae-sang, however.
First, portions of the document in question have apparently made their way online. Second, a petition calling for the revocation of Hybe’s Ministry of Employment and Labor-issued “Top Job Creation Company” designation has attracted approximately 50,000 signatures, per the Korea Herald.
And last but certainly not least, the noted outlet is communicating that the internal document’s author, far from being a rank-and-file employee as initially believed, “is actually the esteemed local pop culture critic Kang Myeong-seok,” formerly the editor-in-chief of Weverse Magazine.
Unsurprisingly, the revelation has placed a bit of pressure on the appropriate publication – hence Weverse Magazine’s follow-up, posted in Korean as a standalone announcement.
Running with Google’s translation of the remarks, Weverse Magazine staff “deeply apologize…for the inconvenience and concern caused by the situation caused by the monitoring document,” the text reads in part.
Weverse Magazine team members, the straightforward comments proceed, “were not aware of the existence of the document,” which was allegedly created by Kang Myeong-seok “as a separate task.”
Meanwhile, the fallout is no longer confined to this former editor-in-chief; the employees responsible for asking the one-time chief editor “to work on monitoring have also been suspended from work,” the text reads.
“Weverse Magazine has nothing to do with the controversial monitoring document, and Weverse Magazine members clearly state their opposition to the document,” the message concludes for good measure.
Given that the above-highlighted petition will reportedly receive an official review due to its signature count, the controversy appears unlikely to abate (at least entirely) in the immediate future. During today’s trading, Hybe stock (KRX: 352820) parted with about 3% of its value to finish at $137.96 (₩194,200) per share.