K-pop fans crash service lines of S. Korea’s $1.15 trillion pension fund over boy band Enhypen exit

SEOUL – K-pop fans crashed the telephone and e-mail support lines of South Korea’s US$900 billion (S$1.15 trillion) pension fund, in anger over the departure of a member of popular boy band Enhypen, whose management firm the fund holds a stake in.

Mr Kim Sung-joo, chairman and chief executive officer of the National Pension Fund (NPS), revealed what had happened on Facebook on March 18, and urged Enhypen fans against further disrupting its services, saying their actions had inconvenienced workers in South Korea and abroad seeking pension advice.

The NPS was targeted because of an erroneous social media post saying NPS was the majority shareholder of HYBE, Enhypen’s management label, Mr Kim said.

The NPS does not get involved in the formation of K-pop groups or member issues, he said.

“We found out that some users on X posted the support centre numbers of the NPS online and mobilised others to protest the removal of an Enhypen member,” Mr Kim said, adding that the fund was subsequently hit by overseas phone calls and more than 1,500 e-mails over a two-hour period.

NPS held a 7.54 per cent stake in HYBE as at the end of September, making it the third-largest shareholder after HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk and game developer Netmarble, according to a company filing.

Enhypen member Heeseung announced his sudden departure from the group to pursue his own solo career on March 17.

Young and tech-savvy K-pop fan groups regularly use social media to express protest or support for matters relating to the celebrities they follow, but the NPS incident marks a rare instance where a government public service was disrupted.

In 2025, fans of South Korean girl group NewJeans flooded fax machines belonging to South Korea’s Culture Ministry to urge an investigation into the group’s management agency. REUTERS