Various suspicions, including HYBE’s alleged association with a religious cult, are spreading. While the company asserts that these claims are unfounded, the controversy continues to escalate.
On April 29, HYBE announced via its fan communication platform, Weverse, that it had detected organized efforts to damage BTS’s reputation and engage in defamation. The company stated its intention to take serious legal action, including appointing additional legal counsel, to address the situation.
Since the previous day, online communities including YouTube and Twitter have seen comments and posts spreading the notion that HYBE is linked to Dahnworld, and as a result, artists under HYBE, including BTS, have become affiliated with this organization.
Founded in South Korea in the 1980s, Dahnworld outwardly presents itself as a meditation group but has long faced allegations of being a cult. In the United States, it is known as Dahn Yoga. CNN, Forbes, and others reported allegations in 2010 that the founder and spiritual leader, Ilchi Lee (Lee Seung-Heun), had sexually preyed on young female disciples. In Korea, SBS’s investigative program Unanswered Questions shed light on fraud allegations against the organization.
These suspicions have resurfaced alongside claims made by the CEO of ADOR, HYBE’s sub-label, Min Hee-jin, during a press conference on the 25th, alleging threats from HYBE executives regarding the music video for the song “OMG” released by its girl group NewJeans. Following Min’s statements, netizens began speculating that elements critical of Dahnworld were hidden throughout the music video, and questioned whether HYBE executives associated with Dahnworld had threatened Min. The recurring appearance of bears was one of the pieces of evidence they cited. Bear is one of the main symbols associated with Dahnworld.
Some BTS fans in Korea had raised suspicions about HYBE’s connection to Dahnworld years ago, citing various factors such as all but one BTS member being graduates of a university founded by Dahnworld, one member using cosmetics sold by a company associated with Dahnworld, references to “danjeon breathing” in BTS’s debut song, and BTS’s debut stage taking place at an art hall associated with Dahnworld. However, at the time, these allegations did not gain widespread attention and faded away.
However, with Min’s additional remarks such as “GFRIEND’s disbandment was not my decision” and “NewJeans was supposed to be HYBE’s first girl group,” these suspicions have gained momentum. Netizens who paid attention to Min’s statements highlighted GFRIEND’s final activities and found ‘clues’ related to Dahnworld. They connected GFRIEND’s last album title, “Walpurgis Night,” which signifies a night when witches gather, with HYBE debuting a girl group named LE SSERAFIM, meaning ‘angels,’ after disbanding GFRIEND. There is speculation that HYBE dismantled GFRIEND as ‘witches’ according to Dahnworld’s beliefs and debuted LE SSERAFIM instead. The album also includes a song named after ‘Mago’ a figure revered as a goddess in Dahnworld.
Netizens anticipate that HYBE will make NewJeans follow in the footsteps of GFRIEND. There’s speculation that they’ll also symbolically scapegoat NewJeans, similar to GFRIEND, and endeavor to ensure the success of their successor girl group, ILLIT. This is why comments demanding protection for Min and NewJeans are being posted under the OMG music video. Some suggest that ILLIT’s debut song, “Magnetic,” may be linked to the book “Magnetic Meditation” by Dahnworld founder, which is currently being sold on Amazon. Ilchi Lee describes this book as “a ground-breaking method of meditation in which you use the magnetic fields of magnets to feel, amplify, and circulate energy.”
However, some argue that these suspicions are forced. One notable rebuttal is that members of groups from other entertainment companies also attended universities founded by Dahnworld. Additionally, some claim that the lyrics in BTS’s debut song are common concepts found in Wuxia genre novels.
Amid these spreading suspicions, past allegations of ‘sajaegi’ regarding BTS are being revisited. Sajaegi refers to the practice of artificially inflating an artist’s chart position by bulk buying albums.
The verdict of individual A, who was indicted for blackmailing HYBE in 2017, has garnered particular attention. The court explicitly stated that A had “extorted money under the guise of sajaegi marketing.” A was sentenced to one year in prison for extorting 57 million won from a company official through threats of disclosing his marketing materials to the media. At the time, Big Hit Music, BTS’s then-agency, stated that A’s claims were unilateral, and that such marketing refers to conventional online viral marketing. Big Hit Music, founded by Bang Si-hyuk, current Chairman of HYBE, is now an independent label under HYBE.
