HYBE Employee Fired After Leaked Messages Expose Shocking Misconduct

A HYBE subsidiary employee has been dismissed following serious misconduct involving fan event operations and the handling of personal data.

The controversy surfaced on Friday after leaked text conversations spread across social media. The messages showed a Weverse employee asking whether it was possible to check applicant identities or exclude specific fans from winner lists. One fan on social media alleged that this was done in attempt to exclude them from the winners’ list.

The conversations also referenced sensitive personal details, including how many albums a fan had purchased, information often used to assess winning probability in fan events.

Following the leak, Weverse Company confirmed the individual was an internal employee and acknowledged that the actions went beyond personal misconduct, pointing to failures in internal oversight. The employee was immediately removed from their duties, referred to the company’s disciplinary committee, and reported to investigative authorities.

Weverse stated that its internal investigation confirmed the employee had accessed and shared personal data without authorization and attempted to influence fan event-related processes. While the company said no actual manipulation of winner results occurred, it acknowledged that the conduct itself seriously violated internal rules and privacy laws.

Affected users have been notified in accordance with legal requirements, and Weverse said no secondary harm has been identified so far. As compensation, the company announced it would provide impacted users with ₩100,000 in Weverse cash.

In response to the incident, Weverse has launched an internal task force to review fan event procedures and tighten access controls to personal information. The company also plans to strengthen employee training, limit data access on an event-by-event basis, and increase managerial oversight.