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2024.09.08
Everyone, it’s been a while.
『Monthly KPOP Chit-chat』 is back for Season 2.
Now, for our memorable comeback, I thought we could discuss various KPOP events from the first half of this year.
First, an unavoidable topic when talking about KPOP this year would be the messy internal conflict of ‘HYBE VS Min Hee-jin.’
For those who are not aware, here’s a brief overview of what happened:
April 22.
Due to the explosive popularity of BTS, HYBE has grown into the largest entertainment agency in KPOP, and they demanded the resignation of Min Hee-jin, the head of ADOR and producer of NewJeans, over allegations of embezzlement (suspected attempts to seize management rights).
April 23.
Min Hee-jin completely denied HYBE’s claims of attempting to seize management rights.
April 25.
HYBE filed a police complaint against Min Hee-jin and the ADOR management team over suspicions of embezzlement.
On the same day
Min Hee-jin held an emergency press conference with her lawyer present.
Up to this point, things were already messy, but this press conference would lead to even more complications.
During this time, Min Hee-jin made the following claims:
- I did not betray HYBE. On the contrary, HYBE betrayed me.
- No one else has achieved such results in KPOP history in just two years like I have with NewJeans.
- If I have any fault, it is only the fault of being capable of doing my job.
- Originally, it was promised that NewJeans would be the first girl group to debut from HYBE, but that promise was broken, and LE SSERAFIM debuted first.
- ILLIT, which debuted under BELIFTLAB, is copying the concept of NewJeans.
To be more specific, she made various other claims, and in the latter part of the conference, she revealed screenshots of conversations with HYBE’s chairman Bang Si-hyuk, passionately expressing how she had been oppressed, while repeatedly using profanity to insult the HYBE management.
As a result of this press conference, public opinion quickly shifted in favor of Min Hee-jin.
The Dodgers cap and the green and white striped long-sleeve shirt she wore during the conference sold out in online shops across South Korea, and the rapid-fire barrage of insults was interpreted by some as “the debut showcase of a new rapper named Min Hee-jin,” leading to her being dubbed the “Eminem of Korea” and becoming a popular internet meme.
The author believes that the deep-rooted male chauvinism in South Korea, even more so than in Japan, has influenced this situation.
The image of a female president of a subsidiary standing up against the pressure from the male executives of a giant company like HYBE resonated with the emotions of the general Korean public, reminiscent of a Korean drama.
However, the mention of LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT during this conference led to a surge of anti-fans, and the comment sections of both groups’ YouTube videos became flooded with relentless slander.
This was also the case for NewJeans, as they became targets of hate from Min Hee-jin’s anti-fans.
The author remains neutral and does not take sides with either HYBE or Min Hee-jin, but believes that Min Hee-jin’s involvement in dragging the idols, who are simply working hard every day, into this adult conflict is a serious issue.
I acknowledge her skill in making NewJeans a world-class artist.
However, I also believe that this success is due to HYBE’s financial power and the efforts of many other staff members, and her claims of single-handedly leading NewJeans to success come off as overly self-centered.
Moreover, the assertion that ILLIT is a copy of NewJeans feels quite disheartening from the perspective of someone working in the same entertainment industry.
While I do think there are similarities, that is a common occurrence in entertainment, and I do not believe it is a crime to follow a hit work.
This happens not only in music but also in movies, comics, and all genres, and if something similar to what you created appears, you should just strive to create something even better and unique.
I believe that is how the history of entertainment has evolved through competition.
When time travel stories become popular, the market is flooded with time travel comics and movies; when the metaverse becomes trendy, the same happens; when girl crush concepts become popular, KPOP groups with girl crush concepts emerge; and when Y2K becomes a trend, KPOP groups with Y2K concepts appear.
But it is the consumers who decide what to choose and what to discard.
Good things will naturally remain, while bad ones will be eliminated and fade away.
Personally, I wish Min Hee-jin would have used the emergence of ILLIT as motivation to further elevate NewJeans, transforming her resentment towards HYBE into power.
However, what was happening within HYBE is something we outsiders cannot fully understand, so if Min Hee-jin felt oppressed by the HYBE management, then that is her truth.
Just as the side that bullies may claim they are not bullying, if the bullied feel they are being bullied, then it is indeed bullying; it cannot be denied that there were issues within the HYBE management.
And this internal conflict is still ongoing; recently (on August 27), Min Hee-jin was dismissed as the head of ADOR by HYBE.
In response, Min Hee-jin has vehemently opposed the dismissal, calling it an illegal decision.
It seems this internal conflict is far from over, and what kind of conclusion it will reach remains to be seen.
Perhaps only the gods of KPOP know the answer.
There are still many other events I want to write about, but I ended up using an entire column on the ‘HYBE VS Min Hee-jin’ incident, so the rest will continue in Part 2…
The end
Written by: Nekomachi Peko
Head of the KPOP Department at SKOOTA
〈Originally a fan of Western rock music, I once considered working for Rockin’ On. I started listening to KPOP due to BTS, then became obsessed with BLACKPINK, and eventually got fully immersed in KPOP. I became a hardcore fan of Kep1er, who debuted from the survival audition show ‘Girls Planet 999,’ leading me to dive deep into the KPOP world.〉
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