HYBE’s Weverse, the heart of K-pop fandom, is facing a controversy after the personal information of some users was leaked. The company’s CEO, Choi Jun Won, issued a public apology on January 5, 2026, acknowledging the seriousness of the incident.
Choi stated that the problem was not just the misconduct of an individual employee. He added, “We recognize this as a major issue where our company’s management oversight is responsible, beyond just an individual’s misconduct.”
He explained that an employee shared the personal information of a fan who had applied for a RIIZE fan signing event in a group chat with acquaintances. The leaked information included the fan’s real name, year of birth, phone number, and album purchase history. Choi clarified that while no manipulation of the event’s winners took place, the employee’s actions caused serious concern.
The employee was found guilty of breach of trust and obstruction of business and has been removed from the company. The said employee was also referred to the personnel committee and criminally charged.
Weverse also announced plans to prevent similar incidents in the future. This includes stricter access controls for fan event systems, stronger oversight for each event, and re-education for all employees on personal data protection.
The leak came to light after a conversation between the employee and an acquaintance was shared online. In the chat, the employee discussed a fan signing winner, the number of albums they purchased, and whether they had been confirmed as a winner.
Once it was confirmed that the employee worked for Weverse, the company apologized directly to the affected fan.
Weverse is a major platform with over 50 million global users, hosting artists from multiple agencies, including HYBE artists such as BTS and SEVENTEEN, YG artists like BLACKPINK, and SM Entertainment acts such as NCT. Fans use Weverse to communicate with artists, watch performances, and purchase merchandise.
The leak is criticized because it exposed a vulnerability in the fan signing lottery system, where access to events is often tied to album purchases. Fans buy multiple albums to increase their chances of winning, a practice known as the “fansign cut.”
Fans have criticized Weverse’s response, saying the proposed compensation of 100,000 KRW (about $69) in platform credit is too little. Many are demanding real changes to ensure privacy and fairness in future events.
The controversy comes at a sensitive time, following a massive data leak at Coupang, which exposed information of over 33 million users. This has intensified scrutiny on Weverse and HYBE and raised concerns about the trustworthiness of digital platforms.
CEO Choi said Weverse would take full responsibility and improve its systems to prevent future incidents. The company’s reputation has been affected, especially since it has promoted itself as a platform for “authentic communication” between artists and fans.
