Petition to revoke HYBE's 'top job creator' status gathers more than 40,000 signatures

A petition to cancel the government's designation of HYBE as a "top job creator" has garnered more than 40,000 signatures within six days since it was posted on the National Assembly’s petition platform as of Tuesday.

Condolence flowers sent by NewJeans fans to HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Sept. 25, in support of the girl group's demand for the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin as CEO of the subsidiary label ADOR. [NEWS1]

A petition to cancel the government's designation of HYBE as a "top job creator" has garnered more than 40,000 signatures within six days since it was posted on the National Assembly’s petition platform, as of Tuesday.

On Oct. 30, a petition titled "Request to Cancel HYBE's Designation as a Top Job Creator" was published on the National Assembly’s website. The petitioner stated that the goal is to ensure "the integrity and sustainability of systems aimed at nurturing talent and building a cooperative labor-management culture" by revoking HYBE's designation due to workplace harassment issues.

The petitioner also criticized the Ministry of Employment and Labor for not taking stronger action against HYBE. They pointed out that the ministry hasn't provided clear updates on investigations into workplace harassment allegations, despite calls from Rep. Park Hong-bae to revoke HYBE's "top job creator" designation during a National Assembly audit on Oct. 15. The petitioner argued that this lack of action suggests a disregard for the integrity of the National Assembly's policies.

If a National Assembly petition receives more than 50,000 signatures within 30 days, it will proceed to committee and subcommittee reviews before potentially being submitted to the plenary session.

HYBE was designated as a "top job creator" in September, a title that grants the company benefits such as a presidential certification, integrated employment tax credits, priority entry and exit cards, deferral of regular tax audits, credit rating advantages and visa perks.

In April, tensions with former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin came to light. Min claimed that HYBE copied NewJeans to create ILLIT, while HYBE stated that Min attempted to secure a new investor to break free from the company.

Min Hee-jin during a YouTube livestream on Oct. 29 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Hanni of girl group NewJeans testifies at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on Oct. 15 in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

The situation intensified on Oct. 15 when NewJeans member Hanni testified at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee that a HYBE manager from another group had told other HYBE artists to "ignore" her, raising allegations of workplace harassment.

HYBE COO Kim Tae-ho testifies at a National Assembly audit on Oct. 24. [NEWS1]

At a National Assembly audit on Oct. 24, Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party questioned the conglomerate's Chief Operating Officer, Kim Tae-ho, about the agency's controversial internal practices. Min revealed an internal HYBE document titled "Weekly Music Industry Report," which included derogatory comments about K-pop idols currently managed by different agencies, such as "This agency debuted the members at an age when they all looked ugly," "Their plastic surgery was overdone" and "The members are shockingly unattractive."

HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang [HYBE]

HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang, also known as Jason Lee, issued a formal apology on the company’s official website on Oct. 29, acknowledging that the content of the document was highly inappropriate.

"The inclusion of provocative and crude language to describe K-pop artists, the addition of personal opinions and evaluations, and the fact that these remarks were documented in writing are all unacceptable,” Lee said.

"We are particularly sorry and ashamed that these actions have led to unfounded accusations of malicious intent, causing significant harm and misunderstanding to innocent artists and employees."

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]