Ex-HYBE staff accuses Bang Si Hyuk of unwanted physical contact, all we know about ‘uncomfortable’ 2017 incident amid stock probe

Allegations in opposition to HYBE founder and chairman Bang Si Hyuk bear surfaced online. A veteran BigHit Leisure worker shared a non-public story describing an depressed detect. It entails political force and bodily boundary violations. The post, made by Elly Chae Eun, who beforehand served as the Communications Director for BigHit, has impulsively gone viral.

A memory from 2017 surfaces

Elly Chae Eun took to her non-public Threads story on June 7 to recall an incident that took space eight years ago. It was at some level of her time at BigHit Leisure, the agency now diagnosed as HYBE. In step with Elly, the event occurred unbiased correct days earlier than the 2017 South Korean presidential election.

She defined that she had been required to work over the weekend as a consequence of a backlog of tasks. She ended up sharing a meal with Bang Si Hyuk at a native kalguksu (knife-decrease noodle) restaurant terminate to the place of work. It was at some level of this reputedly informal lunch that, in accordance alongside with her, the dialog took an depressed and outrageous flip.

Allegations of political force and bodily contact

In her detailed story, Elly claimed that Bang Si Hyuk attempted to influence her voting resolution. He urged her to toughen then-candidate Moon Jae In. Despite her insistence that she held centrist political views and had not made a closing resolution, Bang reportedly continued to force her to vote a sure device.

What escalated the discomfort, she wrote, was the moment Bang allegedly reached across the desk and held her hand while emphasizing his political stance. “He with out warning grabbed my hand and earnestly pleaded that I must vote for Moon Jae In,” she wrote. Elly described the interaction as “extremely depressed and bewildering.”

She framed the interaction as a textbook case of ‘space of work energy harassment.’ She questioned, “Although I had clearly expressed my political stance, he insisted and even made undesirable bodily contact to push his opinion. Isn’t this exactly what we call energy harassment within the space of work?”

Financial investigations into HYBE

The timing of Elly’s revelations is especially striking, as they coincide with a widening investigation into HYBE and Bang Si Hyuk’s financial dealings. The Financial Supervisory Carrier (FSS) is currently probing Bang for allegedly deceptive investors into promoting firm shares to a non-public equity fund tied to 1 amongst his terminate mates.

Authorities bear already carried out a search and seizure operation related to HYBE’s financial affairs. It has been reported that a warrant has been filed concerning Bang Si Hyuk’s person involvement within the alleged misconduct.

The 2 issues, Elly’s claims and the ongoing financial investigation, are separate. Nonetheless the overall public response means that the tide of scrutiny surrounding HYBE’s management is rising stronger by the day.

HYBE has but to answer

As of this writing, neither HYBE nor Bang Si Hyuk has issued a public assertion addressing the allegations raised by Elly Chae Eun. Alternate observers are watching carefully to appear whether the mounting public force will suggested an skilled response or further revelations.