In a controversial case revealing that HYBE had prepared an industry report that disparagingly evaluated the appearance of idol group members, Kang , the report's author and Content Director, was dismissed from his position on October 29.

The report, titled " Weekly Music Industry Report ," was distributed to key executives at HYBE and its subsidiaries. Kang, who authored the report, was removed from his position due to backlash over the report's inflammatory and degrading content.

The report was brought to light on October 24 during an audit of the National Assembly by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, where Democratic Party Representative Min Hyung Bae questioned HYBE about the contents of the report. The report contained remarks about idol group members, such as " the members debuted when they were at their lowest, " " none have idol looks, and the plastic surgery is excessive, " and " the other members are shockingly ugly. "

In response, HYBE issued a statement explaining that " the monitoring report presented to the National Assembly gathers opinions and trends within fandoms and the industry. It was written by directly quoting public reactions from communities and social networks to serve as a reference for a small internal group, and does not reflect the position of HYBE. "

However, as more content from the report began to circulate online, public outrage intensified. Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN, a group under one of HYBE's subsidiaries, voiced his criticism on October 29, stating, " Our journey is not something you can judge lightly. This is not just for us, but for all artists, we are not your objects to be freely exploited, " showing his frustration with the report's degrading comments.