Hybe Names New CEO As Multiple Execs Face Defamation Litigation from Ador’s Founder

Amid shakeups and drama in the K-pop space, BTS agency Hybe’s Park Ji-won has been replaced as CEO by Lee Jae-sang.

Regional outlets including the Korea Herald just recently shed light on the news, which has arrived days after it surfaced that longtime Hybe exec Lenzo Yoon would leave the company at 2024’s end. The latter exec previously served as the co-head of Hybe America alongside Scooter Braun, who retired from management five weeks ago.

Now, with an increasingly global Hybe continuing to expand and hunt for commercial results outside of the K-pop arena, management has revealed another C-suite shift. Lee Jae-sang, who signed on with the company about six years ago and has held roles including chief strategy officer as well as president of Hybe America, has been elevated to CEO.

The appointment is expected to be officially finalized at a forthcoming shareholder and board meeting. Meanwhile, though some outlets have indicated that now-former Hybe CEO Park Ji-won would exit the company, the Korea Times, citing an internal letter from the exec himself, has reported that the higher-up will simply transition to a fresh role.

Shifting the focus to a different and similarly important development concerning Hybe, the K-pop mainstay remains embroiled in an ugly dispute with its Ador subsidiary, which serves as the professional home of NewJeans.

We’ve covered the multifaceted confrontation in detail – including when Ador’s founder and CEO, Min Hee-jin, was slapped with a defamation suit levied by Hybe subsidiary Source Music earlier this month.

And according to new reports, the high-stakes confrontation isn’t abating; Min Hee-jin is now firing back with litigation against five Hybe execs, among them Park Ji-won, over alleged defamation, obstruction of business, and more.

Needless to say, the lawsuits hardly suggest that a semi-amicable resolution (or any resolution at all) is in the near-term cards for Ador and Hybe, shares in which dipped by 1.6% today to $128.13 (₩177,300) apiece.

Wrapping with a brief look at the broader K-pop landscape, Hybe is far from alone in grappling with drama at the executive level. Kakao, which holds a controlling interest in SM Entertainment, only recently saw an arrest warrant go out for its founder, Kim Beom-su, on stock-manipulation charges stemming from 2023’s SM takeover battle.

While Kim Beom-su and his attorneys have denied the allegations, the less-than-ideal situation is having an understandably disruptive impact on the company’s operations, according to regional coverage. All told, Kakao stock (KRX: 035720) is down almost 32% since 2024’s start, for a day-end value of $28.58 (₩39,550) per share.