Recently, the news of Heeseung leaving ENHYPEN after six years of activity has shaken the entertainment industry. Although a week has already pαѕѕed, the group’s fandom still struggles to accept the reality, despite repeated statements from both the artist and BELIFT LAB confirming that this was a carefully considered decision, driven by Heeseung’s personal artistic direction and one that is unlikely to change.
The mix of regret and disappointment has fueled increasingly intense reactions from fans: continuously sending emails demanding that HYBE reconsider the decision, dispatching protest trucks to the company’s headquarters, and even organizing demonstrations to apply pressure. Not stopping there, some fans have flooded the social media accounts of HYBE artists and groups with spam comments, calling for support and intervention.
However, when none of these efforts produced the desired outcome, the mindset of a portion of fans grew more extreme. They began criticizing and attacking the company, particularly targeting Bang Si-hyuk. On social media platforms, many comments included offensive nicknames and even went as far as wishing for him to be investigated, arrested, or entangled in legal issues. Their reasoning was that the head of HYBE should be held responsible for Heeseung’s departure.
Meanwhile, some supporters of Bang PD, along with certain ARMYs, argue that such claims are completely unfounded. In reality, Bang Si-hyuk currently serves as HYBE’s chairman and a major shareholder, focusing on strategic direction rather than day-to-day management. Heeseung is also managed by BELIFT LAB rather than HYBE’s central management. Even in terms of production, Bang PD now only occasionally participates in key music projects, such as ARIRANG by BTS.
On the other hand, some ARMYs also point out that aside from BTS in their early years, Bang PD has hardly directly managed any boy groups. In light of this situation, fans have revisited a past statement from Bang Si-hyuk. Over the years, he has achieved numerous milestones and successes, but what left the deepest impression—and what made him happiest—was not money, numbers, or status, but BTS’s “third contract renewal.” He described it as the most meaningful moment in his 20-year career in management.
Specifically, during a conversation with Park Jin-young, Bang PD shared his emotions when he and BTS renewed their contracts in September 2023. "At artists of their level, BTS has many options. For me, as the head of management and label, the fact that they chose us means that they are acknowledging the history that we have worked together with them, and that they have sufficiently accepted that we have also done well with them. It felt like they were praising me", he started.
"And although I always talk about it as a happy thing, [the discussions] mostly were just time taken to make adjustments. When they said that they would trust me and renew it, it was the happiest time in all 20 years of my time working in management", he recalled the emotions in this special moment.
BTS debuted in June 2013, and in October 2018, the group first renewed their contracts with BigHit Music before their original contracts expired. They did so again in 2023, ahead of the end of their second contract term. This marked the third time BTS signed with HYBE, further strengthening their close relationship with the company where they debuted.
In another interview, Bang PD expressed similar sentiments about the group’s future: "So as for the growth of the company, BTS and the fact that we need BTS, I think, is needless to say, but as a manager of the company and a musical producer for a company like HYBE, for such artist like BTS for choosing us again is very valuable and make us very happy. I become closer to the members with the contract process, and can understand each other more...When we were young, we were all working together, we set to each other to pull a 10-anniversary album of the project. Even if they hadn't signed with us, they still would have released without us but it's very important to me to keep this promise."
When Big Hit Entertainment was first established, it was a small and financially struggling company, with Bang himself carrying significant debt. BTS debuted under those circumstances and were often underestimated, with few believing they could become top-tier stars—except Bang PD. Two decades after the company’s founding and 12 years after BTS’s debut, Bang PD has risen from a producer to the chairman of a global entertainment powerhouse, while BTS has grown from rookies into global K-pop superstars. Yet, what matters most is that their bond and mutual trust have remained unchanged.
With such a relationship between BTS and Chairman Bang, ARMYs cannot help but hold deep respect and appreciation for the man who helped shape the group from the beginning!
