After the announcement of SM Entertainment’s new girl group, Hearts2Hearts, netizens remember a leaked document from HYBE which mentioned the members
Following the announcement of SM Entertainment’s new girl group Hearts2Hearts, netizens took to social media and discussion forums to recall the controversy involving internal comments from HYBE Corporation. The confidential documents, leaked in 2024, contain criticism of groups from other companies, including the then recently announced Hearts2Hearts.
The records were originally part of a report that shows HYBE employees giving negative opinions about the appearance and alleged lack of experience of the group’s members, even before their debut. A specific excerpt dated June 14, 2024, says:
“There seems to be some talk about SM’s new girl group, perhaps because of the talk about HYBE’s rookie team,
. It appears that eight candidates have been chosen, but surprisingly, none of them are particularly beautiful. I wonder if they are working with a completely inexperienced trainee lineup.”
The criticism reignited a debate about the rivalry between K-pop’s biggest companies, with netizens expressing outrage over comments aimed at young artists still in the preparation phase. Some users condemned HYBE’s attitude, classifying it as “ignorant” and “disrespectful”. Others questioned how the company obtained inside information about SM Entertainment trainees.
The controversy is not unprecedented. In 2024, HYBE had already faced strong reactions after the leak of documents with derogatory remarks about groups such as BLACKPINK and aespa. At the time, the company publicly apologized, but this time it has not yet commented on the resurfaced comments.
More about H2H
Meanwhile, Hearts2Hearts continues to generate expectations. The group, made up of eight members, was introduced for the first time during the SMTOWN Live event in Seoul, through a teaser video. Scheduled to premiere in February 2025, SM Entertainment is betting big on the new project, which is already arousing global interest.
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Source: Recreio
