K-pop fans are having a hard time keeping up with the rapid developments in the HYBE-ADOR conflict, as new information emerges every day.
Following an explosive press conference by Min Hee Jin, HYBE decided to address the allegations on April 26.
Initially, HYBE officials made the decision to address the allegations, saying, ‘Not worth responding to.’ However, the agency has decided to address the claims after all by releasing a lengthy statement.
They put out a long five-page statement that seemed rushed, with a messy structure and accidentally revealing personal email addresses.
On April 22, HYBE exercised their right to audit ADOR executives and CEO, and asked for Min Hee Jin’s resignation.
On April 25, they shared the results of the interim audit and filed a complaint to the police about breach of trust, mentioning they had proof of the ADOR’s CEO and her team trying to take control of management rights.
Min Hee Jin’s Compensation
In response to Min Hee Jin’s claims that she only earned 2 billion won annually, HYBE revealed, “More precisely, the incentive for 23 years of performance is 2 billion won, and the annual salary and long-term incentives are set separately. This is by far the highest annual salary among members of HYBE’s headquarters and Korean subsidiaries.”
NewJeans Debut Delay
During the press briefing, Min Hee Jin revealed that NewJeans were scheduled to debut before LE SSERAFIM, however, HYBE delayed it. In response to the allegation, the agency revealed, “The reason NewJeans failed to become HYBE’s first girl group is not because HYBE didn’t keep its promise. At the time, CEO Min requested that she be able to take full responsibility and create a team, and she strongly insisted that she debut under her own separate label.”
They mentioned that HYBE honored CEO Min’s decision by moving these members to Adore despite Source Music’s objections.
Moreover, they paid a substantial amount of funding totaling 16 billion won, enabling CEO Min to debut NewJeans according to her vision. However, during this transition, the debut schedule for NewJeans had to be postponed due to the company’s division and contract transfers.
Lack of Promotion For NewJeans
Moreover, the company addressed Min Hee Jin’s claim of no promotions for NewJeans stating that 273 press releases were written and released for NewJeans.
This compared to 659 press releases from BIGHIT MUSIC with 8 active teams including BTS and 365 press releases from PLEDIS Entertainment with 4 teams including SEVENTEEN.
HYBE claimed that promotions for NewJeans activities were not overlooked. They stated that their PR team works tirelessly to promote all labels and artists without any bias.
On another note, teasers for NewJeans’ single How Sweet was unveiled amid the conflict, ensuring that their comeback will move forward as planned.