ENTERTAINMENT
ENHYPEN's Heeseung Departure Sparks International Fan Outcry, Temporarily Disrupts South Korea's National Pension Service
On the 18th, Kim Sung-joo, the chairman of the NPS, shared a lengthy post on his social media titled "The Story Behind the Paralysis of the International Pension Support Center." He revealed, "Last week, the International Pension Support Center received a sudden influx of overseas calls, causing a temporary halt in operations, and approximately 1,500 emails were received within two hours."
Kim explained the cause of the incident, stating, "It turns out that posts on social media encouraged international fans to call the NPS, a major shareholder of HYBE, in protest of Heeseung's departure from ENHYPEN." During this time, fans shared the contact information for the International Pension Support Center online, questioning whether the NPS was aware of the situation and its potential impact on corporate value.
Kim clarified, "The International Support Center is responsible for pension support for foreign workers in Korea and Koreans working abroad." He added, "Due to this incident, individuals calling for pension consultations experienced significant inconvenience." He further explained, "The NPS is a long-term investor managing the public's retirement funds, investing in numerous companies across over 80 countries, but it does not involve itself in the management or personnel issues of individual companies." He emphasized, "Naturally, we do not interfere in the formation or member composition of K-POP groups."
Meanwhile, ENHYPEN's agency, Belift Lab, officially announced Heeseung's departure from the team on the 10th. Belift Lab stated, "We have been discussing the future direction and next goals for ENHYPEN," and "In the process, we recognized Heeseung's distinct musical aspirations and decided to respect them." According to Belift Lab, ENHYPEN will continue as a six-member group, while Heeseung will pursue a solo career.
Reporter: Soo-min Lee, Ten Asia danbilee19@tenasia.co.kr
