‘Rumor related to Hive’ spreads to ‘Danworld Challenge’ “Teenagers carrying bats at the door”

Recently, with the management rights dispute between Hybe and its subsidiary Udoor, suspicion arose on YouTube and various online communities that Hybe is associated with DanWorld, leading to the spread of inappropriate play culture among teenagers. According to DanWorld, teenagers have been engaging in malicious disruption activities at their nationwide centers, causing serious physical and mental harm to employees and members. Incidents include making prank calls, banging on center doors, yelling and running away, unauthorized filming, and threatening behavior with objects like baseball bats. Some youths even played soccer in the center’s training field. What’s more concerning is that teenagers are sharing videos of their visits to DanWorld on social media, fueling a misguided trend called the “DanWorld Challenge.” DanWorld urged parents and teachers to guide teenagers with proper values and behavior and called on them to refrain from participating in the “DanWorld Challenge.” Established in 1985, DanWorld is a meditation and qigong organization that develops programs to enhance mental and brain health. Last month, Udoor’s CEO Min Hee-jin mentioned during a press conference about being threatened by Hybe executives regarding mentioning the OMG music video in a KakaoTalk conversation. This led to online discussions analyzing the content of the OMG music video and pointing out that many BTS members graduated from a global cyber university operated by DanWorld, fueling suspicions of a connection between Hybe and the alleged cult DanWorld. Hybe and DanWorld denied any association and expressed their intention to take legal action. [Reporter Kang Ju-il joo1020@kyunghyang.com]