Fan complaints flood NPS call center, prompting CEO to stress nonintervention despite stake in parent firm
Heeseung (Belift Lab)
South Korea’s National Pension Service was drawn into unexpected K-pop backlash after fans, angered by Heeseung’s departure from Enhypen earlier this month, flooded one of its call centers with complaints.
The state pension operator — which runs one of the world’s largest pension funds, with assets exceeding 1,600 trillion won — is a major shareholder in Hybe, the parent company of Enhypen’s management agency, Belift Lab.
Kim Sung-joo, the NPS chief executive, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the agency’s international support center was temporarily paralyzed last week by a surge of calls and emails from overseas fans. The disruption affected services for foreign residents in South Korea and Koreans living abroad, leaving many callers unable to access assistance, he added.
“The NPS is a long-term investor managing retirement funds and holds stakes in companies in more than 80 countries,” Kim wrote. “However, it does not intervene in the management or personnel matters of individual firms.”
“That also applies to the formation of K-pop groups and decisions regarding their members,” he added, referring to the complaints.
The backlash against the national pension service appears to have been fueled by posts circulating on X urging fans to direct their protest at the fund over Heeseung’s exit. Some questioned whether the NPS had been informed of the decision or had considered its potential impact on the company’s market value.
Online posts showed users sharing contact details for the NPS international support center and encouraging others to file complaints.
Heeseung, the group’s main vocalist, announced his departure on March 10, saying he wished to pursue a solo career outside the group. Despite intensifying fan protests, Belift Lab told The Korea Herald that Heeseung will not return to the group (see our previous report).
junheee@heraldcorp.com