Industry insiders say Heeseung’s recent departure and Katseye’s Manon hiatus reflect broader changes in K-pop rather than flaws in Hybe’s multilabel system
Hybe has found itself at the center of a string of artist-related controversies in recent months, prompting renewed questions over whether the company’s multilabel structure is beginning to show cracks or whether the world’s largest K-pop agency is simply experiencing industry-wide issues on a more visible scale.
Katseye member Manon has remained on hiatus since announcing an indefinite break in February, fueling speculation over her future with the group. Former Enhypen member Heeseung’s sudden departure from the group in March before making a rapid solo debut as Evan surprised fans, while Le Sserafim’s Chaewon and Illit’s Moka temporarily suspended activities due to health concerns.
Industry insiders largely rejected the idea that the incidents expose fundamental problems with Hybe’s multilabel system. Instead, they argued the company’s size, K-pop’s globalization and changing career expectations among artists better explain the recent string of cases.
Music critic Jo Hye-lim said health-related hiatuses and members leaving groups should not be viewed as the same phenomenon.
She believes temporary breaks taken by artists such as Chaewon and Moka are more likely tied to the physical and mental demands of increasingly intensive global schedules.
Similar cases have emerged outside Hybe as well. YG Entertainment announced Monday that Treasure member Junkyu would temporarily suspend activities to focus on rest and recovery after experiencing health issues, saying both the artist and those around him agreed he needed time away from promotions.
By contrast, Heeseung’s departure reflects an artist’s search for an individual musical identity, she said.
“That’s different from exhaustion caused by busy schedules,” Cho said. “It’s about finding one’s own artistic identity while pursuing a music career.”
Jo also argued that Manon’s situation may highlight the challenges of exporting the K-pop system itself.
“Group activities are less rooted in Western culture,” she said. “As the K-pop system is localized overseas, it takes time for people to adapt to it.”
Music critic Lim Hee-yun pointed instead to broader changes in how celebrities build careers today.
“It’s no longer the era when artists handed everything over to the company and remained bound to it,” he said.
With artists now cultivating their own brands and communicating directly with fans through social media, pursuing solo careers or different creative directions has become increasingly feasible, Lim said, adding that Hybe’s scale, rather than its multilabel structure, may make such developments appear more frequent.
Industry executives shared a similar assessment.
A senior manager at a K-pop agency said Hybe’s extensive roster naturally makes artist-related issues more visible than at smaller companies.
“Because multinational members are working together under the K-pop system, there may be members who struggle to adapt,” the manager said of Katseye. “This is not something only Hybe experiences. Many companies have gone through similar situations or are still dealing with them.”
An executive at a major K-pop agency argued that temporary hiatuses and even departures have become increasingly common as K-pop artists who began training in their early teens reassess their careers after debut.
“They spend four or five years as trainees during their school years and then debut,” the executive said. “A year or two later, some inevitably begin questioning whether this is really the career they chose for themselves.”
The executive added that management companies today are also more willing to let artists prioritize their health over pushing through demanding schedules.
“The company simply has more groups, so naturally more issues become visible,” the executive said. “I don’t think the structure itself is the problem.”
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
