HYBE founder Bang Si Hyuk was recently photographed in Los Angeles, USA, with two women, sparking widespread discussion online. The images, initially posted on various Korean forums, quickly gained attention, especially after it was revealed that one of the women was Juice Seyeon, a popular AfreecaTV BJ and influencer, known for her appearance on Netflix’s show The Influencer.

HYBE’s Immediate Action

HYBE, the entertainment company behind Bang Si Hyuk, took swift action to remove the photos from online platforms, citing concerns about privacy. The company referenced Article 44-2 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection as the legal basis for their request to take down the images.

“We inform you that the publication has been taken down to comply with Article 44-2 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.”
Title: Bang Si Hyuk pictured with female BJs in the U.S.
Reason: Invasion of privacy of Chairman Bang Si Hyuk
Requested by: HYBE
Discontinuation date: August 8, 2024, at 5:22 PM

Netizens’ Reactions

The swift removal of the posts did not go unnoticed by netizens, who expressed mixed reactions online. Many questioned why HYBE was so quick to protect Bang Si Hyuk’s privacy while other sensitive content, such as leaked messages from Min Hee Jin and ongoing news about BTS’s Suga’s DUI incident, remained untouched.

• “You guys exposed Min Hee Jin’s KakaoTalk messages left and right but have to take down this photo because it’s invasion of privacy?”
• “Just forget about this forum…”
• “What do you mean by invasion of privacy? After posting messages to Min Hee Jin and her acquaintance everywhere,”
• “Stop stalking the online forum sites.”
• “It was already bad…but have you decided to become even worse?”
• “Wow so many articles about Suga and yet they take this one down.”
• “Wow first time to see a post on this forum get taken down.”

• “Taking it down just proves that these photos were private.”
• “A HYBE artist gets caught for drunk driving and the chairman is seen hanging with BJs…”
• “MIn Hee Jin’s KakaoTalk messages were invasion of privacy too..why did they expose that? And Suga has thousands of comments online and they aren’t doing anything about that.”
• “Ah so it is private..ok got it.”
• “Stop checking online sites.”
• “So f*cking funny.”
• “Wow the drunk driving articles aren’t going down but this one gets taken down.”
• “Wow so f*cking hilarious.”

The controversy highlights the tension between privacy and public interest in the digital age, especially for high-profile figures like Bang Si Hyuk.

Ongoing Debate

Despite the removal of the photos, the incident has sparked an ongoing debate about privacy rights for public figures, particularly within the context of the Korean entertainment industry. The issue has become a focal point for discussions about how HYBE and other agencies handle such situations, especially when compared to other controversies involving their artists.

While photos of Bang have quickly been taken down, recent drunk driving news of BTS’s Suga remain on online Korean forums.

For more updates on HYBE and related news, tune in to VVIPTimes.