On April 22, 2024, HYBE, the renowned South Korean entertainment conglomerate, has accused the management of its affiliate label, ADOR, or attempting to take over management rights from the HYBE label and move towards independence.

The accusations specifically target Min Hee-jin, head of ADOR, alleging a concerted effort to liberate ADOR from HYBE’s umbrella.

HYBE further claimed that the vice president, who worked in their finance department, had downloaded a large number of internal files when he transferred to ADOR, and distributed potentially sensitive information with ADOR.

Denying these allegations firmly, Min Hee-jin retaliated by asserting that her outspokenness regarding alleged similarities between ILLIT, a group under another HYBE label, and her produced group, NewJeans, had triggered a vendetta against her, including the attempt to terminate her employment.

HYBE, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, rose to fame as the home of global sensations like BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.

Their roster includes a diverse array of talent, such as Seventeen, Le Sserafim, ILLIT, and NewJeans.

Min Hee-jin, a famous producer known for her tenure at SM Entertainment before joining HYBE, has been a pivotal figure in the success of NewJeans, a multinational girl group enjoying widespread popularity.

NewJeans is getting attention not only in South Korea but also from all over the world, which can be seen through their official Instagram followers of about 12 million.

The controversy escalated on April 24, 2024, as HYBE released internal documents and chat logs allegedly showing Min Hee-jin’s intentions to wrest control from HYBE.

In response, Min Hee-jin scheduled a press conference at 3 p.m. on the 25th, to refute the accusations.

At the conference held at the Korea Conference Center in Seocho, Min Hee-jin vehemently refuted all allegations, presenting evidence of what she deemed to be Chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s attempts to undermine her and NewJean’s success.

However, controversy arose over her press conference, as she expressed her intense emotions by using considerable profanity even though it was transmitted live on the YouTube channels of terrestrial broadcasting stations.

It was pointed out that except for the appeal of emotion, the suspicion towards her was not clearly answered.

HYBE immediately issued an official statement regarding her press conference, saying that they can refute it, but it's not worth answering.

Despite the conflict, NewJeans' new music video 'Bubble Gum' was released on the 27th.

Their conflict is still ongoing, but the fact that the press conference was broadcast live on YouTube by the three terrestrial broadcasters, that the clothes she wore at the press conference were sold out on the same day, and that HYBE's stock price fell, show that the Korean people are watching this situation carefully.

The fact that foreign broadcasts such as BBC, The Times, and U.S. Billboard, also reported their conflicts demonstrates that the conflict continues to captivate public attention.

Jenny Ahn 

Grade 11

Chadwick International School