Wreaths of flowers with BTS fans’ protesting messages against Hybe and BigHit Music are displayed in front of Hybe’s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Friday. (The Korea Herald via Yonhap)
Army, loyal fandom of K-pop phenomenon BTS, urged Hybe to protect the group from an ongoing dispute between the company and its sublabel Ador CEO Min Hee-jin in a statement published through local media outlets on Friday.
The fandom said “We support BTS, not Hybe” in a full-page advertisement printed in major newspapers.
The group said while an internal feud over management at Hybe is underway, the name of BTS is being damaged by false news and rumors despite the controversy being irrelevant to the group.
“Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and the CEO Park Ji-won must stop manipulating the media using BTS as a shield against the company’s internal and external issues. A label that does not protect its artist has no reason to exist,” Army said in the statement. “We recognize that a label’s failure to fulfill its obligation (to protect the artist) can be a factor in terminating the contract.”
Army already held a protest in front of Hybe’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on Thursday by arranging trucks with large electronic display boards to display messages such as “When are you going to protect your artist, when you are busy worrying about the company stock price and internal feud?” “Are you happy Bang for using artists as a shield in the company executives’ brawl?” and “What is the point of complaining about malicious comments (online) and asking for protection of artists?”
Hybe said the accusation that the company is using BTS as a shield makes no sense and declined to comment further on the issue.