Apology Regarding Controversial Idol Evaluation Internal Document
"Members Were Unaware... Oppose the Document"
Weverse Magazine has posted an apology regarding an internal report that caused controversy due to idol evaluations.
Weverse Magazine recently posted an apology regarding the controversy over the internal documents of HYBE. [Photo by Weverse Magazine]
On the 10th, Weverse Magazine (Weverse) stated on its official website, “We deeply apologize to those who cherish Weverse Magazine for the inconvenience and concerns caused by the situation arising from the monitoring document.”
They further explained about the report, “The former editor-in-chief conducted it as a separate task, and the members of Weverse Magazine were not aware of the existence of the document itself,” adding, “Except for the former editor-in-chief, neither the members involved in producing Weverse Magazine nor external contributors participated in the creation of the monitoring document.”
They also stated, “The former editor-in-chief was relieved of their position and measures were taken to ensure they no longer engage in any Weverse Magazine work. The personnel separately requested by the former editor-in-chief for monitoring tasks have also ceased their work.”
Moreover, they said, “Weverse Magazine is unrelated to the controversial monitoring document, and the members of Weverse Magazine clearly oppose the document,” and added, “We apologize once again for being mentioned in this unfortunate matter and causing inconvenience in usage.”
The problematic ‘internal executive report containing HYBE’s industry monitoring’ was revealed during the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s audit held on the 24th of last month. The document mentioned not only affiliated artists but also a large number of artists from other agencies. In particular, it contained unfiltered explicit evaluations of the appearances of artists from other agencies, along with disparagement and slander, which sparked controversy.
HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang apologized regarding the document, saying, “On behalf of the company, I bow my head and sincerely apologize to the artists, industry officials, and fans regarding our monitoring document,” and added, “We fully acknowledge all faults and take responsibility for the fact that the document contained provocative and harsh expressions toward K-pop artists, included the personal views and evaluations of the author, and that such content was recorded in a document.”
The following is the full statement from Weverse Magazine
This is the Weverse Magazine team.
We deeply apologize to those who cherish Weverse Magazine for the inconvenience and concerns caused by the situation arising from the monitoring document.
We would like to clarify several clear facts regarding this matter.
The document was created as a separate task by the former editor-in-chief, and the members of Weverse Magazine were not aware of the existence of the document itself.
Except for the former editor-in-chief, neither the members involved in producing Weverse Magazine nor external contributors participated in the creation of the monitoring document.
The former editor-in-chief was relieved of their position and measures were taken to ensure they no longer engage in any Weverse Magazine work. The personnel separately requested by the former editor-in-chief for monitoring tasks have also ceased their work.
Weverse Magazine is unrelated to the controversial monitoring document, and the members of Weverse Magazine clearly oppose the document.
Nonetheless, we apologize once again for being mentioned in this unfortunate matter and causing inconvenience in usage.
Weverse Magazine promises to repay our readers with deeper and richer content in the future.
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