The Korean entertainment industry is currently buzzing with controversy surrounding one of its largest entertainment agencies.

HYBE has been at the center of the controversy after its "music industry report" was unveiled during the recent National Assembly audit, where HYBE’s COO and Belift Lab CEO Kim Tae Ho claimed the reports were "merely monitoring data and did not represent HYBE’s stance."

The report contained extensive comments on HYBE idols, along with harsh evaluations of idols from other entertainment agencies, particularly concerning their appearances. It also addressed controversies around personal lives, opinions from online communities, and viral marketing strategies.

Among the evaluations, HYBE commented on a YG Entertainment group that has caught the attention of Korean netizens.

HYBE reported, "This team’s rise to popularity began with Coachella, and it seems a similar strategy is being planned for Europe.” It also mentioned, “There was a suspicious voting activity for the Global Popularity Award at OOO (awards name), with most of the invalid votes attributed to OOOO. This could possibly be due to interference from OO (member name)’s international fandom."

This comment was speculated to be about BLACKPINK and was criticized for implying that their success stemmed solely from their Coachella performance, undermining the existing popularity of the group.

One netizen commented, "BLACKPINK has been successful since their debut with 'Whistle' and 'Boombayah,' then they hit Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 with 'As If It’s Your Last,' and 'Ddu-Du Ddu-Du' was a massive hit—so Coachella was the start of their success..? Is that why they sent LE SSERAFIM to Coachella?"

Other netizens joined the conversation and shared their opinions on HYBE's alleged view on BLACKPINK's success. They commented:

"BLACKPINK already proved their skills before Coachella even in South Korea."

"They're crazy."

"They really don't know how to evaluate the industry."

"What nonsense are they saying? BLACKPINK's success was from Coachella?"

"HYBE should've made their group practice a ton before sending them to Coachella."

"BLACKPINK was already big before Coachella."

"Very bad at analyzing too."

"How dumb of them to think that LE SSERAFIM would become like BLACKPINK if they sent them to Coachella."

"BLACKPINK was invited to Coachella because they were successful."

"They must be crazy to say something like that. BLACKPINK was already legendary."

"That report is so dumb."

"That report shouldn't be even called a report. It's some low-quality opinion of someone who is incompetent."

"BLACKPINK has been popular since their debut."

"That's why they sent their group to Coachella but failed miserably."

SEE ALSO: BLACKPINK dominates girl group brand reputation ranking in December