YG Former Employee’s “YG Leaker” Revelations Spark Controversy; Most Claims Found to Be False or Stolen

At the end of March, an anonymous user identified as “YG Leaker,” claiming to be a former employee of YG Entertainment, created a Discord channel and sparked controversy by stating he would disclose confidential information from various entertainment companies. The user posted messages saying he felt deep anger toward the entire company after leaving his job and claimed that workplace harassment, racism, and sexism were widespread. He asserted that he possessed extensive data targeting not only YG Entertainment but also other major agencies such as SM Entertainment, HYBE, Cube Entertainment, RBW, Blockberry Creative, JYP Entertainment, WM Entertainment, and Starship Entertainment. “YG Leaker” further triggered criticism over cultural insensitivity by releasing a voice clip allegedly used by members of BLACKPINK. Reactions from American rapper Azealia Banks and others led to broader discussions among some fans and netizens. However, K-Pop fandoms and online communities began to strongly question the credibility of the information released. Netizens responded by saying, “There are too many lies; nothing can be trusted,” adding that it was no different from poor-quality fanfiction. The list of rumors published by “YG Leaker” included claims such as ▲BTS’s V and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo being close friends ▲Red Velvet’s Irene and Seulgi having a rift ▲BLACKPINK’s Jennie and Lisa having a rift ▲The Weeknd being infatuated with Jennie ▲BLACKPINK’s Rosé being attracted to ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo ▲V-Cook (BTS’s V and Jung Kook) being a fake rumor ▲ITZY’s Yuna being in a relationship with a third-generation boy group idol ▲Jennie and V breaking up at the end of 2023 ▲BTS making a Comeback in July or August ▲Jennie and EXO’s Kai being in a relationship from 2018 to 2019. In particular, netizens pointed out that an image allegedly showing Jennie and V kissing was actually a stolen photo of Hollywood actors Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk. With fans’ sharp scrutiny leading to the rapid exposure of fake evidence, doubts about all of “YG Leaker’s” claims grew. As some fans reacted by saying, “The part about Irene and Seulgi is completely untrustworthy from the start,” and “The photo itself is strange,” K-Pop fans systematically verified the released information and identified the lies. Experts also assessed that such claims were no different from exaggerated rumors that spread widely on social media, especially within fan communities.