Zico denies seeing HYBE's internal report allegedly sent at Bang Si-hyuk's request

Rapper Zico / Korea Times file

K-pop artist Zico has distanced himself from an internal report by HYBE that was criticized during a National Assembly audit for containing offensive remarks about other K-pop artists.

The report allegedly featured disparaging comments, including judgments on physical appearance, and received significant backlash.

Rapper Zico clarified on his social media account on Wednesday that he has "never seen this document, nor have I ever opened the email," adding that he only learned through recent articles that his name was included in the recipients of the report.

The controversy arose following a report by Hankyoreh, a progressive media outlet, which alleged that HYBE's chairman, Bang Si-hyuk, had directed the addition of Zico to the recipient list of an internal document titled "Weekly Music Industry Report III" in January 2022.

Zico, who founded the agency KOZ Entertainment in 2018, had his company acquired by HYBE in November 2020. He reiterated that he never accessed the document and verified with KOZ that no record exists of him having viewed the email or document.

Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea revealed portions of the internal music industry report during the National Assembly’s audit session on Oct. 24. These excerpts contained derogatory remarks about K-pop idol groups from other agencies, describing them as "debuting at the peak of their unattractive phase" and as "shockingly unattractive."

Such comments sparked public criticism and raised questions about HYBE's internal culture.

HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang issued an apology on the company's official website, saying, "I take full responsibility on behalf of the company and deeply regret the harm caused to the mentioned artists." He also confirmed that the report's author had been suspended from their position.

However, HYBE’s Chairman Bang has yet to comment on the matter, which has led to further speculation. Following the backlash, HYBE announced that it has discontinued the production of this internal report.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.