'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUI/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAzhID/8QAHhAAAwACAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBBEAQQUSIVH/2gAIAQEAAT8AwsrCCPW/jltiyL7gbsu3dWCH2HSnR13rl2V70acxJGYlUBJCj8+8/8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAgEBPwB//8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAwEBPwB//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Saturday, June 7, the former BigHit Entertainment music director, Elly Chae-eun, took to her Instagram Threads account, @ellychae.official, to put forth an alleged exposé regarding HYBE Labels. The employee, who was a music director under the company, was fired in 2017 for reportedly not meeting the preferences of the agency, she explained in her exposé.
Trending
In the same exposé, she revealed the alleged poor and harsh working conditions during her time with the company. She also briefly mentioned BTS, stating that the group deserved all the recognition and exposure they currently receive, as they've basically built HYBE Labels from scratch. She further wrote:
"I sincerely congratulated the BTS members when they were given shares and became wealthy. They absolutely deserved everything they achieved — those seven were the beginning of HYBE itself. But the ones who later swooped in and devoured shareholders’ stocks at cheap prices, who went behind people’s backs… people who played golf with corporate cards, lounged in luxury rooms, drank alcohol — they are the real evil ones."
However, when this exposé appeared on the internet, many fans of the group were unhappy with the mention of the group. People also called out the former employee for allegedly using BTS' name to garner more attention. Following criticism, Elly Chae-eun soon released another Threads post commenting on the same.
Former BigHit employee, Elly Chae-eun responds to backlash from ARMYs following her mention of BTS in a recent HYBE exposé
As she came under criticism for her recent exposé on the alleged harmful and exploitative actions of HYBE Labels, Elly Chae-eun defended herself by stating that she wouldn't back down from her stance, being a direct victim of the company's behavior.
She went on to justify why she mentioned BTS and her intention behind the same. She said:
"I’m the one who was wronged and who suffered harm. I rarely even talk about BTS on purpose, so why are some fans coming to my thread to curse me out and cause a scene? Even when I was kicked out of the company."
She continued,
"I stayed quiet and lived in the shadows for years because I didn’t want any harm to come to the artists. I truly wished for their success, hoped they could make the music they wanted, and last for a long time. So please, don’t try to romanticize or sugarcoat the wrongdoings committed by the company."
On the other hand, while talking about her exposé of HYBE, Elly Chae-eun claimed that the employees were expected to work around the clock. She stated that she would often get work-related tasks casually through messages or Kakao, and there were even days were she would have to sleep with her phone next to her all the time in case of work-related calls.
Additionally, she claimed to have lost around 7 kgs while also experiencing excessive hair loss, during her tenure at the company. According to Chae-eun's exposé, she asserted that regardless of the hard work she showcased with her work for HYBE Labels, she was fired from the company.
HYBE Labels has not responded to the allegations raised through this exposé by the former employee, as of yet.
