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Rep. Park Hong Bae of the Democratic Party has raised concerns over HYBE’s selection as a “top employment company.”

On November 12th KST, Rep. Park addressed the issue during a meeting of the Environment and Labor Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, “Following the recent national audit, a petition calling for the Ministry of Employment and Labor to revoke HYBE’s top employment company designation has exceeded 50,000 signatures.”

He continued, “During the audit, I pointed out that HYBE’s selection as a top employment company by the Ministry of Employment and Labor was problematic and grounds for cancellation. I requested that the ministry report the cancellation decision to my office, but their response was, ‘We will report after investigating the complaint.’ However, no report has been submitted to date.”

Rep. Park went on to say, “Beyond the NewJeans issue, according to an industry trends review document reportedly prepared for HYBE executives, there were inappropriate comments and unprofessional evaluations of other agencies’ artists. This also falls under the grounds for canceling top employment status, which includes ‘cases involving social controversy or public complaints.’”

He criticized, “It’s disheartening to see the public witness HYBE’s lack of accountability and the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s apparent inaction, merely stalling. I urge that steps be taken to ensure HYBE’s top employment designation is appropriately revoked.”

Earlier, a petition calling for the cancellation of HYBE’s top employment status was submitted to the National Assembly’s public petition board on October 31st. It surpassed 50,000 signatures by the morning of November 9th, making it eligible for formal review.

In September, HYBE was selected as one of the “2024 Top Employment Companies of Korea,” a designation granted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Companies receiving this status are awarded a presidential certification plaque and receive benefits such as credit rating advantages, loan interest rate benefits, procurement score preferences, and priority entry privileges, depending on the company’s scale.

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