Zico Denies He’s Ever Looked At HYBE’s Internal Reports Criticizing Idols After Allegations Surface

Zico clarified that he had not accessed the controversial internal reports from HYBE.

On October 30, Hankyoreh revealed emails showing that Bang Si-hyuk, HYBE’s chairman, had instructed that the document be shared with company executives and specifically requested Zico’s inclusion. In a reply, the report’s creator confirmed adding Zico.

After this, Zico commented on the so-called “HYBE Internal Report” himself via his Instagram stories. He said, “What is going on? After reading today’s report, I thought it would be best to address it myself. I have never seen the document nor accessed the email itself,” adding that he first learned of his inclusion as a recipient through the news article. He went on to clarify that, to prevent misunderstandings, he had KOZ check records to confirm that he hadn’t opened any related emails or documents.

KOZ Entertainment, founded by Zico in 2018, was acquired by HYBE in November 2020, making him one of the label heads under HYBE.

The HYBE internal documents were discovered during a National Assembly audit on October 24. Later, more snippets from the report were published and leaked online and sparked controversy for containing blunt comments on idol appearances and was especially criticized for targeting minors’ appearances. It contained toxic comments about SM and JYP idols.

The report mentions details about BlackPink, (G)I-DLE, aespa, IVE [with a lot of focus on Wonyoung], Jungkook, V, ZEROBASEONE, TREASURE, TripleS, SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM, RIIZE, JYP, NMIXX, AKMU, BABYMONSTER, and Vcha. It also mentions the malicious YouTuber Sojang and content she’s made about several top Kpop idols.

Although HYBE CEO Lee Jae Sang issued an official apology, stating he “takes full responsibility” for the report’s creation and distribution, the fallout appears to be ongoing. Bang Si Hyuk was also heavily criticized and several media outlets alleges he was well aware of the existence of the report.

What do you think of what Zico said?