PLAVE Scandal: Employee Leak Sparks Outrage Among Fans

VLAST, the company that manages the virtual K-pop group PLAVE, has finally addressed the issue of leaked internal information.

VLAST revealed on March 26 that an employee responsible for leaking internal information faces disciplinary action.

A social media leak revealed that a disgruntled employee commented negatively about PLAVE and leaked unreleased music and design materials. They further undermined the group by reselling exclusive merchandise, tarnishing PLAVE’s reputation.

This employee not only disrespected the song “Our Movie,” created especially for PLAVE’s fans PLLI, with dismissive terms about their gender, but also made hurtful comments about the PLAVE members on his private account. This angered PLLI, which felt the employee wasn’t respectful toward the group or their fans.

The controversy surrounding the employee’s actions escalated, and in response, VLAST took to its official website, acknowledging five instances of misconduct identified through PLAVE fan reports and internal investigations. The statement emphasized that these actions breached the employee’s non-disclosure agreement and company policies and confirmed ongoing disciplinary action.

VLAST’s official statement sparked mixed reactions from PLAVE fans. Some comments reflected frustration with the agency’s handling: “Looks like PLAVE’s agency needs to prioritize employee management and operations, not just technical skills.” Others expressed uncertainty: “They haven’t detailed how they’ll handle this situation.” Still, some fans remained hopeful with comments like: “I just hope PLAVE comes out of this okay.”

Virtual idol group PLAVE, managed by VLAST, is gearing up for its highly anticipated first-ever fan concert, Hello, Asterum!, which will take place on April 13-14 at the Olympic Hall in Seoul Olympic Park. Tickets for the event were sold out within 10 minutes, showcasing PLAVE’s explosive popularity among fans.

The complete statement from the agency is as follows.

Hello, this is VLAST.

We sincerely regret any concern caused by yesterday’s leak of internal information related to PLAVE. We understand this situation may have been upsetting, and we want to assure you of the following:

Through fan reports and internal investigations, we identified a specific employee who engaged in several inappropriate actions:

① Disparaging remarks about a PLAVE song composed by the group itself.
② Leaking internal company filming footage and information.
③ Sharing unreleased song melodies.
④ Reselling official merchandise at inflated prices.
⑤ Social media activity during work hours.

These actions clearly violate the employee’s non-disclosure agreement and company policies. Disciplinary procedures are currently underway. In 2024, VLAST took legal action against a former employee who spread rumors and internal information on social media. We will take equally strict measures in this case.

We sincerely apologize for this incident. To prevent similar situations and enhance our internal control and security systems, we will strengthen employee ethics and security training.

We appreciate your continued support of PLAVE. Thank you.