Bang Si-hyuk, HYBE’s founder, is being investigated for undisclosed deals before the company’s 2020 IPO. These secret agreements, which were not reported, may violate financial laws. Despite this, media coverage remains limited.
According to a viral post on the popular forum Pann Nate, the number of news articles covering this scandal is shockingly low. Many netizens have begun to question whether HYBE, now one of South Korea’s most powerful entertainment companies, is exerting influence over newsrooms to keep the story out of the spotlight.
This media silence has sparked suspicions of deliberate narrative control, especially as the accusations against Bang Si-hyuk are severe enough to potentially result in criminal charges.
Fueling the controversy is a noticeable contrast in media focus. While Bang Si-hyuk’s legal issues are underreported, idols from SM Entertainment—HYBE’s major rival—are suddenly facing a surge in critical articles and online scrutiny. This imbalance has led some netizens to speculate that HYBE may be strategically diverting attention away from its internal problems by spotlighting issues within competing agencies.
The timing has not gone unnoticed, especially considering past reports that Bang Si-hyuk had once aimed to “step on” rival agencies like SM Entertainment.
- I really hope this person ends up in jail. Starting from the viral damage control documents, they’ve completely messed things up.
- The Financial Supervisory Service is investigating, but why are people acting like this is some Kakao-related mess? Haha, seriously.
- Bang Si-hyuk is the biggest risk here. He’s terrible at handling things and really shady. I wish BTS had left separately.
- Boomerang.
- Crazy. He’ll probably just try to silence everything again with money and power. Like the Democratic Party, maybe he’ll only get a 3-year suspended sentence? It’s a great world for scammers.
With public trust in K-pop media hanging in the balance, the handling of Bang Si-hyuk’s alleged scandal could have far-reaching implications—not just for HYBE, but for the credibility of the industry as a whole. As more eyes turn to the unfolding situation, silence may no longer be an option.
