The feud between HYBE and ADOR’s Min Hee Jin, which began last month, continues to escalate with new developments emerging everyday. The dispute has entered a new phase, with fresh revelations and shocking details shared by NewJeans’ parents.
More recently, ADOR accused HYBE of an illegal audit and HYBE responded swiftly to the allegations.
On May 13, a Korean media outlet acquired an email correspondence from ADOR to HYBE, which contains the concerns and opinions of NewJeans’ parents. This email has been identified as the catalyst for the ongoing management dispute between HYBE and ADOR’s CEO, Min Hee Jin.
ADOR’s CEO, Min Hee Jin, emailed HYBE and BELIFT LAB on April 3 about NewJeans’ management. On April 16, ADOR filed a complaint asking HYBE to stop interfering with NewJeans affairs and manage ethically. HYBE replied to the emails on April 16 and 22.Shortly after, an audit of ADOR started and later CEO Min was accused of takeover attempt.
As per the content of the email, here are some shocking revelation made by NewJeans’ parents about HYBE’s alleged mistreatment
HYBE’s Chairman Bang Si Hyuk Deliberately Ignoring NewJeans’ Greetings
NewJeans’ parents revealed that members would often see Chairman Bang Si Hyuk at the company, but he would act like he didn’t know them and ignore their greetings. At first, they thought maybe he just didn’t recognize them, but it happened multiple times, even when they met one-on-one in different places.
NewJeans’ parents were made aware of multiple instances of their children being ignored or dismissed by Chairman Bang Si Hyuk, including a member being left standing alone in an elevator, feeling embarrassed and unseen, and others feeling deliberately avoided.
HYBE’s Failure to Debut NewJeans as First Girl Group
Initially, the group was promised to be HYBE’s first girl group and signed a trainee contract with Source Music. However, they were left in uncertainty without any clear explanations from Source Music during the project’s delay. Ultimately, contrary to the initial promise, LE SSERAFIM debuted as HYBE’s first girl group, leaving NewJeans’ parents feeling misled and confused.
They added that HYBE’s broken promise to debut NewJeans as their first girl group, combined with the prolonged and neglectful treatment of the members during their time at Source Music, was stressful for the members. The experience was so grueling that one member even considered giving up on their debut dreams altogether.
HYBE’s Inaction on BELIFT LAB’s Concept Plagiarism
Bang Si Hyuk participated in the production of ILLIT’s first album, SUPER REAL ME, and the group was accused of copying NewJeans concept. In the email sent, members’ parents accuse HYBE and BELIFT LAB of plagiarism.
They shared that the similarities between the two groups was the result of a deliberate plan by HYBE/BELIFT LAB to imitate NewJeans. The concept photos, styling, music video direction, choreography, and content series all seem to be inspired by NewJeans’ own content. Moreover, the fact that a staff member who previously worked exclusively with NewJeans, without any experience with other idols, was hired during ILLIT’s debut, raises suspicions of intentional copying.
HYBE’s Response to NewJeans Parents’ Claims
In response to the email of NewJeans’ parents sent by ADOR, a high-ranking HYBE official disputed the claims, questioning the authenticity of the email and stating that they possess relevant evidence.
The official shared that they had sent a response to ADOR on April 16, denying the allegations of plagiarism. However, just as they were about to send the response, ADOR sent a second email containing multiple clauses, including a demand for their removal. The official explained that they replied to the second email on April 22, around 10 AM, and confirmed that CEO Min Hee Jin had read the response shortly after 12 noon.
The official added that an audit was conducted later that afternoon.