Internal documents reveal HYBE employees made derogatory remarks against top K-pop groups

During a recent National Assembly Audit, internal documents from HYBE Co., Ltd., a major multinational entertainment company, revealed that its staff allegedly disparaged both rival and in-house K-pop groups, with strategic plans to oust their own group, NewJeans.

Founded in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment, HYBE operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event and concert management firm, and music publisher. The company, widely influential through its subsidiaries—Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, and ADOR—has positioned itself at the forefront of the industry.

The leaked documents, briefly publicized by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, suggested that HYBE intended to reposition NewJeans away from its other high-profile girl groups, such as LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT. Media had previously coined the term “New-ILL-LE” to represent the trio as a new generation of HYBE idols, yet the documents indicated a shift to exclude NewJeans from this group. The strategy aimed to elevate LE SSERAFIM as a premier “million-seller” act while sidelining NewJeans.

This audit also uncovered disparaging remarks allegedly made by HYBE staff about popular groups like BLACKPINK, TWICE, and AESPA, raising concerns over HYBE’s internal culture and competitive tactics. The Ministry soon restricted access to the documents, but the exposed strategies continue to fuel debate on HYBE’s operations and its handling of rival and internal groups.