A national petition requesting a standalone hearing for HYBE and legislative revisions has been registered.
Recently, a petitioner identified as Mr. A submitted a petition calling for a hearing and legislative amendments in response to various legal inadequacies revealed by a major entertainment company’s societal misconduct. This petition has been registered and will be open for national consent from November 15 until December 15.
Mr. A explained the purpose of the petition, saying it was drafted to address the weaknesses of the current laws revealed by the social issues of this company, the only major conglomerate in its industry. The aim is to conduct a hearing to facilitate legislative reinforcements or new law enactments if current laws prove insufficient. He emphasized that the various suspicions that have arisen across the company’s management and business activities need to be clarified. A fair and transparent investigation through a hearing is necessary to amend the regulations of Korea, a country that strives for the rule of law, hoping this will lead to supplementation and new legislation.
Furthermore, Mr. A noted the absence of records in the process of selecting leading companies during a related national audit. According to the Records Management Act, “All public officials” are obligated to protect and manage records related to their duties, keeping them for more than a year. Leading companies receive about 200 supports, including tax audit postponements and exemptions from regular labor inspections. The absence of related records raises significant issues. If documents concerning the recommendation and selection procedures were destroyed, the National Assembly should pursue those responsible for dereliction of duty through a hearing and call for disciplinary action against the department head.
Mr. A also pointed out issues in a music industry report containing derogatory remarks about various idols. He expressed concerns about reports that might have been produced and distributed with defamatory views against the same industry, the monetization of monopolistic platforms, poor internal trading disclosures between affiliates, unfair internal trades, pushing records, and gambling-like random photocard practices. He urged the National Assembly to examine whether regulatory bodies have investigated or taken action on these issues and push for amendments or enactment of laws to close loopholes.
In addition, Mr. A highlighted suspicions regarding bribery attempts involving journalists. He stated there hasn’t been news of investigations or penalties concerning allegations reported in September about attempted journalist bribery. Similarly, there have been no investigations or penalties concerning allegations of providing airfare and accommodation for 100 journalists, which violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act in April 2022. He urged for such issues to be addressed in a hearing to confirm investigations by relevant agencies and called for amendments to both the act and the Press Arbitration Act to impose strict penalties on false and exaggerated reporting.
Mr. A also raised the issue of deaths due to overwork. He mentioned that up until this petition was submitted, there had been no response to materials requested by Representative Jeong Hye-kyung, no statement regarding internal artist protection, and revelations about employees forced to work even after registering unused annual vacation days. He called on the National Assembly to confirm unfair labor practices via a hearing and demand oversight and sanctions from the responsible department.
As of the morning of November 18, the national petition requesting a standalone hearing for HYBE has gathered 13,000 consents. Considering that the petition for the cancellation of HYBE’s designation as a leading company surpassed 50,000 consents about 10 days after it began accepting signatures, it is likely that this petition will also exceed 50,000 consents within the specified period. This raises the prospect that a standalone hearing for HYBE might indeed be convened.