A high Voltage Drama, or we can say ‘K-Drama’ with allegations of betrayal, plagiarism, and power struggles, emotions and more, have three main characters Popular Kpop Girl Group ‘New Jeans’, the Creative mind behind them Min Hee-Jin, and South Korea’s Big Entertainment Agency HYBE
This HYBE vs Min-Hee Jin controversy over ‘NewJeans’ and more has taken the Kpop industry by storm. Let’s delve into the very details of this.
It all started with… An Audit
HYBE, the force behind K-pop Sensations like Seventeen and BTS, began a high-stakes audit into its sub-label ADOR on April 22. The decision was made in the wake of startling claims that ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and other executives were involved in internal plotting and information leaks.
So, here’s what happened, Hybe made public its intention to audit ADOR and its executives, including CEO Min Hee-jin, and chaos broke out. Hybe has accused that Min had an intention to push ADOR toward independence, including tactics designed to force Hybe to give up its stake of the sublabel.
Hybe went on to say that Min Hee-jin and her associated had possibly orchestrated ADOR's bid for autonomy and drawn in investors by disclosing private information to foreign entities, including the exploitation of financial and contractual data.
All this was done to force Hybe to sell its stock, as per the Screenshot of a chat between Min and ADOR’s Vice CEO, that has surfaced around. Moreover, other Key accusations include the unauthorised leakage of sensitive information of artist and employees as well as the recruitment of staff on the say of external parties.
Following the Audit, Hybe's stock fell by 8% as the K-pop industry was rocked by the fallout from these accusations. However, in response, Min Hee-jin sharply denied the accusations.
The Plagiarism Accusation
ADOR led by CEO Min Hee Jin, levied severe charges against HYBE and its affiliate BeLift Lab for allegedly ‘plagiarising’ New Jeans concept with the release of their new girl group ILLIT.
In an exclusive interview with the Korean publication Hankyung, Min Hee Jin revealed that she was afraid HYBE would steal NewJeans, an artist under ADOR, because of BeLift Lab’s ILLIT debut.
ADOR mainly accuses that HYBE founder Bang Si Hyuk in the production process of their new girl group, openly copied NewJeans' appearance, hairstyles, costumes, choreography, and overall presentation. According to Min Hee Jin, this not only betrays HYBE's profit-driven strategy, which sacrifices artistic originality for commercial success, but it also undercuts NewJeans' distinctive identity.
Moreover, ADOR made repeated attempts to bring up the matter with BeLift Lab, but no serious response was received, which is the main reason for this ‘feud’ between the two labels. This feud has consequences that go beyond simple charges of plagiarism. ADOR contends that by drawing attention away from NewJeans' upcoming comeback and placing undue pressure on the group members, ILLIT's debut has unintentionally overshadowed the New Jean’s promotional efforts. In addition, the public's confusion and weariness have been caused by the association between the two groups; HYBE and BeLift Lab have benefited from the controversy, while ADOR and NewJeans have suffered the most.
This also sparked conversations on social media. Fans and industry observers began to notice similarities between the concepts and images of the two groups even prior to ILLIT's debut, which raised questions and led to charges of plagiarism.
'Project 1945'?
This became even bigger, when HYBE Corporation, shockingly revealed on 25 April that it had discovered "solid evidence" of a conspiracy headed by former executive Min Hee Jin, which revealed an alleged conspiracy to manipulate contracts and take management rights away from HYBE.
HYBE released a statement claiming that Min Hee Jin, a former executive in the company, was discovered to have colluded with anonymous parties in order to harm HYBE's reputation. The purported plan involved attempts to obtain negative publicity for HYBE, end the contracts of musicians, such as the band NewJeans, and void Min's own agreement with the label.
Particular techniques allegedly discussed by Min Hee Jin and the implicated executives included coercing HYBE into selling its stake in the subsidiary label ADOR, arranging contract terminations ahead of schedule, and devising harassment plans against HYBE. Two files bearing the names "HYBE's sins" and "Project 1945," which is thought to allude to Korea's 1945 independence from Japanese colonial rule, were found among these records.
HYBE assured stakeholders that it would continue to support impacted artists, especially NewJeans members, in advance of their impending return in response to the developing controversy. In order to protect the artists from any possible harm, the company promised to work with legal representatives to provide complete psychological and emotional care.
Shaman’s Involvement
HYBE accused Min Hee Jin, that there was an involvement of a shaman, in all of this. HYBE paints a picture of Min Hee Jin consulting a shaman for advice on everything from hiring people to business management in ADOR. Min Hee Jin employed people for ADOR on the shaman's advice, an unethical hiring method, Shaman user to give reviews and feedbacks to people, and on her advice, they were then added to the company; Hybe mentions that some of these people are still working for ADOR today. This all comes under a big accusation that Min Hee Jin leaked employee information to the shaman. Moreover, the shaman allegedly gave her instructions to take over ADOR within a certain amount of time, which uncannily corresponded with her attempts to exercise her management rights.
HYBE further revealed, which made many fans angry, that Min used to have conversations with the shaman on BTS's military service, when will they enlist and all, and the shaman advised against endorsing their exemption, as it could benefit ADOR and Min Hee Jin.
Most concerning of all is the claim that Min Hee Jin was influenced by the shaman through the use of a close relative's spirit, creating a manipulative dynamic that supposedly made Min Hee Jin follow the shaman's advice without question.
Teary Press Conference
A dramatic turn came to this drama, with a two- hour emotional Press Conference of Min Hee Jin, held on Thursday at the Korea Conference Center in Seoul, where she broke down in tears, while she was openly telling the media about her ongoing feud with HYBE.
To everyone’s shock, Min Hee Jin's ued some very derogatory remarks aimed at HYBE's senior executives. She denied all the accusations against her, including one where she was trying to take over management responsibilities. He openly called them "propaganda" and said that she is just a salary-paid CEO.
Min Hee Jin then questioned the validity of claims regarding usurping management rights. "It didn't make sense to me that there were allegations about usurping management rights," she remarked.
She addressed Several Accusation in her ‘Teary Press Conference’
Min Hee Jin, revealed startling details about her experiences with HYBE Corporation at a press conference. She said she felt betrayed. She highlighted how she was taken aback when LE SSERAFIM made their debut first instead of NewJeans, HYBE's first girl group, as promised by HYBE.
Min Hee Jin went into more detail about her tense relationship with HYBE, disclosing her talks with chairman Bang Si-hyuk and CEO Park Ji-won, in which she stated she was told not to promote NewJeans over LESSERAFIM. This was done to portray LESSERAFIM as "Min Hee Jin's girl group." ‘Why they are Such Thugs’ as they had an intention of misleading the public, accused Min.
Adding to it, Min Hee Jin expressed her displeasure with the abuse she received while serving as the producer for the success of NewJeans. She made an attempt to bring about change within the company, but felt ignored and targeted for reprisals. And as she retaliated she was sent an audit followed by an office raid.
Moreover, Min Hee Jin also addressed some circulating rumours that she had accused HYBE of "copying" her ideas about BTS, she denied them. Everyone who knows me knows that I have stocks and have received things. The things revealed by HYBE are only to their advantage. To me, they are all false," she asserted. "I have never said that 'BTS copied me,” she said.
Hybe’s Response
HYBE has responded forcefully to Min's latest accusations in her press conference. HYBE called Min's accusations unfounded and charged her with spreading lies and told her to ‘Stop Lying’. Also, HYBE called Min's demand for advance notice of the audit schedule unreasonable considering the seriousness of the misconduct at hand. The company says it will report the executive to the police.
In the meantime, HYBE has assured fans of NewJeans that their performance and release schedules will go forward accordingly and that steps will be taken to safeguard the artists' rights in the midst of the current feud. The girl group NewJeans, who are rising stars managed by Ador, have been extremely popular right from their debut, known for their distinctive fusion of nostalgic R&B sounds and catchy melodies.
In all this controversy, K-pop Fans are more concerned about the wellbeing of NewJeans, a group of young girls getting the most affected from this with their careers at stake. However, about the feud, some have taken sides of CEO Min, including Industry peoples like Choreographer and others, but some fans called on the group to leave Min Hee-jin and concentrate on producing their music. Fans are excitedly awaiting NewJeans' next chapter as they wait for the release of their new double single, "How Sweet," in the midst of the K-pop scandal.
So with all eyes on Hybe, Ador, and NewJeans, this feud is most likely to escalate in the coming time. However, the main question is what’s next? Will this conflict end in a peaceful settlement or will it turn into a drawn-out legal battle? Time will tell.
(Inputs from Agencies)
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