"It's not the time to goof around in the U.S." Politician Park Hong Bae criticizes HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk's absence from the national audit

AKP STAFF

During the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee audit held on the afternoon of October 15, HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk faced criticism for not attending after his summons as a witness fell through. It was reported that Bang is currently staying in the United States.

Representative Park Hong Bae of the Democratic Party of Korea addressed Kim Joo Young, CEO of ADOR and Chief Human Resources Officer of HYBE, who appeared as a witness at the audit. Rep. Park remarked, "Today, HYBE's Bang Si Hyuk, who has caused a social controversy, is not present in this hearing," pointing out that Bang Si Hyuk’s absence was due to his stay in the U.S. A photo of Bang Si Hyuk with the internet streamer Juicy Seyeon on a street in Los Angeles in August was also shown during the session.

Park Hong Bae further criticized, saying, "This is not a time to goof around in the U.S. Chairman Bang Si Hyuk, who has continually been at the center of social controversy, should quickly recognize the seriousness of the matter."

At the audit, NewJeans member Hanni appeared as a reference witness to speak about the bullying issue within HYBE and the controversy surrounding NewJeans being ostracized. Hanni had previously claimed that she and the group had been subject to mistreatment by a label under HYBE.

During her testimony, Hanni expressed, "I became convinced that the company dislikes us." In her final statement, she tearfully added, "If we respect each other as human beings, there wouldn’t be any workplace bullying or ostracism. Those who need to apologize should come forward confidently, but it's frustrating that they continue to avoid situations like this."

Referring to this, Rep. Park said, "Hanni Pham has exposed that 'ADOR and NewJeans have been ostracized within HYBE' and that she 'directly heard instructions to ignore them,' which has shocked fans and the public." He continued, "This is like a Makjang (over-the-top) drama where a massive entertainment company betrays the public, and its consumers, and faces controversy over the violation of the human rights of its most valuable asset—its artists."

Rep. Park Hong Bae then questioned CEO Kim Joo Young, saying, "You are representing HYBE in place of Bang Si Hyuk. Do you fully accept the company's social responsibility?" CEO Kim responded, "We have been making great efforts to improve the internal organizational culture, but we regret the controversy over workplace harassment. We will make more thorough efforts to address and improve these issues." However, Kim reiterated that the claims of NewJeans being ostracized are based on "conflicting statements from both sides."

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Korean netizens were impressed with Rep. Park Hong Bae's curt words blatantly criticizing Chairman Bang Si Hyuk. They praised Rep. Park Hong Bae for his words and commented: