Will Bang Si-hyuk's leadership at the judgment stand hear the call for change?

Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, who had remained silent even as the conflict with Adore CEO Min Hee-jin was escalating, is arousing the public's curiosity by performing on the festival stage at an untimely time. This is because he, who had been called a ‘reclusive leader’, suddenly appeared on stage. As critical public opinion surrounding him grows, voices are emerging from the industry that Chairman Bang must show a change in leadership for Hybe's sustainable management.

On the 17th, opinions poured in about Chairman Bang's surprise guest appearance on various online platforms and communities, including 'X' (formerly Twitter). These are responses to Chairman Bang's collaborative performance of the 'Aliexpress 2024 Weverse Con Festival' (Weverse Con Festival) with JYP Entertainment CCO Park Jin-young the previous day. There were mainly critical opinions. When a Hybe artist is embroiled in controversy, he or she stays silent and then suddenly starts playing guitar.

As can be seen from the public reaction, the reason Chairman Bang's leadership faced a crisis was his 'reclusive' behavior. He had refrained from making public moves even before the conflict with Representative Min broke out. This is because, as a former producer, he had the philosophy that “artists should receive attention.” There is also a principle that professional managers should stand in front of the public and express their opinions about management. In the Korean environment, where the system of separate ownership and management is unfamiliar, there is a tendency for leaders' actions to be difficult to understand. Although it is a natural form of management in developed countries, it has been viewed by the public as ‘reclusive leadership’ in Korea.

When there were no issues, it wasn't much of a problem. However, when Hybe experienced a crisis, he was asked to take on the role of a leader who would overcome the crisis. In the process of conflict with Representative Min, it was crucial that he did not send any public message and delivered his message indirectly only in the petition submitted to the court. I couldn't help but be asked why I was hiding behind it. Even when Representative Min switched to negotiation mode, he responded with silence.

It is assessed that Hybe showed poor leadership in the plagiarism controversy surrounding the new girl group ILLIT. Representative Min claimed that Aylit plagiarized New Genes, and Aylit refuted that this was not true. However, Chairman Bang, who produced Aylet, remained silent throughout the process. It was pointed out that even though he had been silent as a manager, he should have spoken out as a producer.

There are also advantages to his management style. It has the effect of allowing affiliated artists to shine more and the organization to focus on musical achievements. However, there is no optimal leadership for all situations. In this regard, fans hoped to show a more flexible side in this situation. However, the fact that the answer was an untimely festival stage only served to increase disappointment. Hybe's position is that it proceeded because it was a stage that had been planned and promised since last year, but the backlash from fans who questioned whether the promise to protect artists was a promise was also a painful point.

Entertainment industry officials surrounding Hybe unanimously say that his leadership has reached an inflection point. In addition to the musical achievements he has made as a producer, he is also being asked to play a role as a leader who can touch and respond to the emotions of his fans. Ari de Hoys, a business expert who wrote 'Living Companies: 100 Year Companies,' summarized the four conditions for long-lived companies as follows. These include sensitivity to the environment, strong identity and solidarity, generosity, and conservative financing. In order for Hybe, led by Chairman Bang, to become a long-lived company, isn't it time that leadership that adapts to the changing environment is needed?

Lee Min-kyung, Ten Asia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr