Former Big Hit Director's Frank Explanation of RM's Latest Statement Receives Support from ARMY

 

 

On December 21, BTS held a group live stream on the fan community platform Weverse, sending lively New Year greetings to fans around the world and openly expressing their anticipation for an explosive 2026, marking their comeback after three years of absence due to military service. RM took the lead, declaring, "Let's make 2026 the year of BTS. Something really big is coming." Immediately afterward, j-hope added, "2026 will be an important year for us."

 

Another BTS rapper also remarked, "I can't believe 2025 has already passed so quickly," while Jimin admitted, "This time of year is the hardest." Following these comments, RM drew significant attention from fans and netizens by unexpectedly expressing public disappointment toward his management company, HYBE, candidly stating, "I wish our company would show us a bit more affection," and, "I'm not sure. I don't usually say things like this, but I just hope they can support us a bit more."

 

 

 

His statement quickly went viral on social media and Korean media outlets, as such public frankness is unusual for BTS and, more broadly, uncommon in general artist-management relationships. It also implied that HYBE's approach toward its key artists was facing serious issues, signaling the need for urgent reflection.

 

Amid heated online disucssions, a user named elly.chae, known as elly.chae, knwon as a former Big Hit director, shared a lengthy post expressing her viewpoint and providing detailed explanations of RM's statement form the perspective of someone who had worked inside the company. The insights she provided helped the public better understand why RM made such remarks, and he post received significant support an positive responses from fans.

 

 

 

The post is translated into English as follows:

 

"I didn't witness it firsthand, but after seeing Namjoon's remarks, I was honestly quite shocked—as a former Big Hit employee. When an artist makes such a resolute statement, it usually means that internal issues have been piling up for quite some time.

 

When the members chose to enlist individually rather than all at once, there should alreay have been a clear plan laid out for the enlistment periods and post-discharge schedules, with some of it likely already in progress. From the company's standpoint, they probably hoped all seven would enlist together, but they simply couldn't reach an agreement.

 

Once everyone had fully completed their service, that should been the moment to restart immediately—with aggresively promotions and preparations for a world tour. However...

 

— The ongoing NewJeans and Min Hee-jin issues

— Chaos surrounding Bang Si-hyuk IPO-related prosecution investigation

— Marketing and pushing rookie groups like Cortis, among others...

 

All of these happened simultaneously. And given the company's structure—where, no matter how large the organization is, nothing really runs properly without the chairman's final approval—BTS likely felt like they were constantly being pushed to the back.

From the company's perspective, the seven original members, who are the foundation of the company, still need to generate revenue. But from what I know, many of the employees who actually did their jobs well have already left, leaving behind executives more focused on internal politics—so honestly, who knows."

Her explanation further clarified that RM's frankness was the result of a series of real, ongoing difficulties rather than a momentary emotional outburst of a joke, and that it required HYBE's serious attention. Currently, HYBE's internal operations appear to lack the capacity to properly manage internal issues and implement artist development plans—particularly regarding their core IP, BTS, following the group's military service. This situation is both shameful for a leading K-Pop empire and alarming for the industry.

 

Meanwhile, BTS had planned to meet fans worldwide with a global tour following their new album release next spring, which is eagerly anticipated around the world. However, HYBE's action have remained hesitant and uncertain. BTS—and RM in particular—have repeatedly signaled over many months that the company still lacks a concrete marketing campaign for the group's comeback, despite the album's production being complete.

Earlier, during a live broadcast on December 16, RM also expressed frustration over the prolonged inactivity period and the company's operations, saying, "I'm so tired of 2025, I could die." He further discussed comeback plans, stating, "I can't say exactly how prepared the company is, but when will they announce our comeback? I wish HYBE would announce it sooner." Jimin sympathized, adding, "It feels like it's taking longer than expected, which is frustrating."

In a personal live broadcast earlier this month, RM also hinted that even if BTS wanted to return sooner, many factors beyond his control were preventing an earlier comeback. He stated, "We get asked a lot why we just let the latter half of 2025 pass without doing anything. We didn't want to waste time, and I personally wanted to be more active after my discharge. However, there were reasons for not doing activities in the second half of the year, and I don't have the authority to explain all of it."

 

Now, following RM's latest statement and commentary from the former director, both media and fans are watching HYBE's next moves even more closely. If the company does not promptly address these issues—particularly by prioritizing the long-anticipated comeback of its most important artist, BTS—disappointment will grow, and trust among partners, investors, and fans alike will continue to erode.