During the parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, Hive issued a statement saying, "We will hold those who leaked the 'weekly report' to the outside world accountable until the end," but withdrew it after being criticized for undermining the authority of the National Assembly.
On the 24th, Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea questioned Kim Tae-ho, COO (CEO of Hive), who attended the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, after disclosing the "Music Industry Report," which prepared industry trends, including appearance reviews for minors.
According to the data presented by lawmaker Min, Hive's internal documents included phrases such as "No one is an idol's feature because the members made their debut in droves at the age of being ugly," "The plastic surgery was too much," and "Other members are surprisingly ugly." However, it has not been disclosed which singer these expressions are aimed at.
Representative Min criticized, "The evaluation of appearance and low-quality expressions are about minors," adding, "The report contains impersonal perceptions and attitudes toward idols."
Some of Hive's internal documents released by Rep. Min Hyung-bae at the parliamentary audit
In response, COO Kim Tae-ho said, "As a company engaged in K-pop, we are very careful about what public opinion our fans and industry have about Hive artists and K-pop as a whole. The document you showed me is one of them," he said.
Hive also quickly announced his position while COO Kim was present as a witness for the parliamentary audit.
"It was written by extracting community or SNS reactions as they are to share industry trends and issues for reference to a small number of internal people, and it is not Hive's position," Hive warned through the newsroom on its website. "We will hold the forces who leaked the report to the outside to make it look as if Hive made material criticizing the artist until the end."
Rep. Min immediately asked COO Kim about his position, and COO Kim said, "I didn't communicate with the company while I was present (at the National Assembly), and I never asked him to make a position, and I kept sitting on the witness stand."
Jeon Jae-soo, chairman of the political affairs committee, said, "The parliamentary audit is being conducted in accordance with the constitution and laws. Despite being a witness in the parliamentary audit and having a chance to say enough, it is very inappropriate for the company to respond in that way to the questions and answers of the parliamentary audit committee members to the witnesses during the parliamentary audit," he pointed out.
"Can we make the national audit meaningless?" Moreover, Hive is a leading company in Korea's K-content. How can you respond so irresponsibly? Is the National Assembly a pushover?" He also told them to reiterate their position when the parliamentary audit resumes after the adjournment.
In a subsequent parliamentary inspection, COO Kim Tae-ho said, "I humbly accept the criticism that the statement was inappropriate, and I apologize deeply," and added, "It was confirmed that he took a position to respond quickly to media inquiries and prevent incorrect information from being expanded and reproduced." He stressed that he was not trying to belittle the National Assembly.
He also promised, "We will definitely correct problems related to music industry reports in the future."Regarding the position that
will be held accountable to the end', he said, "There is no change in the idea that those who criticize soundly from within and point out the company's problems should be protected," adding, "I have no intention of finding insiders." You don't have to worry about that," he stressed again.
Currently, Hive's position statement has been deleted from its website.
[Copyright holder (c) YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution and use of AI data prohibited]