Head of Spire Entertainment steps down after allegations of abuse against Omega X

Boy band Omega X [SPIRE ENTERTAINMENT]

The head of Spire Entertainment stepped down after allegations that he and his wife abused members of Omega X, a boy band under its management, the agency said Monday.

The announcement was posted on Omega X’s official fan cafe.

“We deeply feel all the responsibilities for this incident,” the agency stated. “The head of our firm, who caused disgrace during the boy band’s tour, resigned voluntarily.”

Last month, controversy broke out online when a recording was uploaded on Twitter by a fan. The recording featured a female voice, initially presumed to be the head of Spire Entertainment but was later revealed to be Kang Seong-hee, the wife of CEO Hwang Seong-woo.

The female voice is heard yelling in Korean, “Who do you think you are?” and “You, stand up.”

A male voice also says, "We're one step away from collapsing." A thud can be heard, followed by someone crying.

The recording was allegedly taken by a fan of Omega X, who claims to have witnessed the incident. She added that the woman pushed and struck the members.

As controversy spread online, Spire Entertainment issued a statement last month to address the issue.

“The situation happened after the group finished its one-month tour — from Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 16 to Los Angeles, United States, on Oct. 22 — and were having dinner,” the statement reads.

“The members and the agency were talking about their next path now that the tour is over, and how hard they’ve worked so far,” the statement continues. “Then they started talking about the things they’ve been upset about in regards to each other, which led them to become emotional and raise their voices. The discussion continued after dinner, and they’ve resolved all misunderstandings. They ended the conversation by agreeing to be more considerate toward each other and to proceed forward. We sincerely apologize for showing an unpleasant scene.”

The agency did not respond to the allegations of physical altercations. The agency head’s resignation comes two weeks after the apology statement.

Omega X debuted under Spire in June 2021 and has released songs such as “Vamos” (2021), “Love Me Like” (2022) and “Play Dumb” (2022).

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]