Belift Lab's CEO Kim Tae-ho, Who is Also HYBE's CEO, Selected as Witness for National Assembly Audit

Kim Tae-ho, CEO of Belift Lab and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of HYBE, has been summoned as a witness for the upcoming National Assembly audit. The National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Sports, and Tourism decided on October 10 during a session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to call Kim as a witness for the general audit.

Kim Tae-ho is expected to appear on October 24 at the comprehensive audit. However, the committee has the authority to withdraw witness or reference appearances through a subsequent decision.

Earlier, on October 15, NewJeans' Hanni and ADOR's CEO Kim Joo-young attended the Environment and Labor Committee's audit session. Hanni participated as a reference, while Kim Joo-young appeared as a witness.

During the session, Hanni requested that CEO Kim resolve the "ignore" controversy. She claimed that a manager from another HYBE label instructed a girl group to "pretend not to see her and ignore her." She further emphasized that senior officials at HYBE had failed to acknowledge her greetings. Hanni voiced her frustration, stating, "Not responding to greetings is not only unprofessional but also lacking basic human decency."

In response, Kim Joo-young acknowledged that "internally, there are conflicting claims on the matter," but added, "I believe Hanni's claim. We've been trying to find supporting evidence but have unfortunately not secured any so far."

The girl group Hanni referred to is ILLIT, and the female manager involved is reportedly from Belift Lab. Consequently, Kim Tae-ho is expected to be questioned about the "ignore" incident during the upcoming audit.

Questions regarding plagiarism allegations are also anticipated. Min Hee-jin, the former HYBE executive, has previously pointed to ILLIT as the cause of her disputes with HYBE, accusing the group of copying NewJeans' creative formula.

Belift Lab has denied these allegations, calling them false. In June, the company released a video statement claiming that "Min Hee-jin has unfairly targeted an innocent rookie group for personal gain."