A recently uploaded photo of HYBE‘s founder, Bang Si Hyuk, has stirred significant controversy online. Bang has had a lot of public attention on him as of late, due to the ongoing feud with ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin over NewJeans.

The picture, shared by a Korean netizen on Instagram, features Bang Si Hyuk seated on a plane, reportedly heading to the United States. The original poster was seemingly excited to be seated close to such a key figure in Korean entertainment, or so his caption suggests.

I’m heading to the US to launch [company name] and guess who’s sitting next to me? It’s Bang Si Hyuk, lol. Thanks to him, K-Culture has become so famous that we’re opening up in America. I just want to say thank you, haha.

Feels like a good start.

— Netizen via Instagram

The image was quickly reposted on TheQoo, a popular online community, where it became a trending topic. Within just over an hour, the post amassed more than 61,500 views and over 300 comments, sparking a heated debate.

Netizens are not pleased at all. They argue that the photo was taken and shared without Bang Si Hyuk’s consent, labeling the action intrusive and disrespectful. Many expressed concern over the ethical implications of sharing private moments without permission, especially when it involves a public figure.

One netizen even compared the original poster to sasaeng fans, who are known to stalk and intrude on K-Pop idols’ privacy more often than not.

• “If we let that slide, the sasaengs who stalk and end up on the same flight as idols will no longer be considered stalkers.”
• “I saw this on Instagram, and it does look like a sneaky photo, but it seems like Bang Si Hyuk was chatting on the plane.”
• “No matter how much you dislike someone, it doesn’t look good to make derogatory comments about their appearance, insult them personally, and take secret photos.”
• “Bang Si Hyuk looks like he just woke up, lol.”
• “They took a photo of him just after he woke up on the plane without his consent and are saying thank you?”
• “Huh? This doesn’t seem right. Even if they exchanged a few words, they didn’t ask if it was okay to post that photo on Instagram, did they?”
• “Posting a secret photo and calling it a good start to the day? Are they the CEO of some company? This is super creepy.”
• “Bang Si Hyuk probably never imagined that someone would post his photo like that. What does having a conversation have to do with any of this? Ridiculous.”