A top girl group is at risk of being “erased.”
For the first time in Kpop’s more than 30-year history, an internal power struggle is negatively impacting the entire entertainment industry. In April 2024, HYBE ignited a conflict with its own subsidiary label ADOR by accusing Min Hee-jin – the woman behind the creation of NewJeans – of plotting to “seize management control.” HYBE began a purge by publicly auditing ADOR’s management and calling for Min Hee-jin’s resignation.
The situation reversed when Min Hee-jin held a public press conference in response to HYBE. She accused the conglomerate of “intellectual property theft” and plagiarizing NewJeans to create a new group, ILLIT, along with numerous injustices she endured while working under Bang Si-hyuk. Thanks to this disruption, the court ruled in Min Hee-jin’s favor.
As a result, HYBE was not allowed to remove Min Hee-jin from her CEO position until the end of her term. However, the company ultimately ousted the NewJeans’ “mother” by appointing a new CEO for ADOR at the end of August.
Min Hee-jin was stripped of her CEO title, leaving NewJeans in confusion. Three out of five members expressed concerns to their fans. On September 8th, NewJeans attended the 2024 The Fact Music Awards, where they openly thanked Min Hee-jin while completely ignoring ADOR’s new CEO. This gesture showed that the group sided with Min Hee-jin. Throughout this drawn-out battle, NewJeans’ parents have also shown unconditional support for her.
However, this raises concerns that NewJeans may be “erased.” In this power struggle between HYBE’s upper management, NewJeans is merely a pawn, being heartlessly fought over. HYBE did not hesitate to release damaging information, pushing NewJeans into a corner.
NewJeans has missed two major HYBE events this year, including Weverse Con 2024 and a Grammy collaboration exhibition. On September 2nd, ADOR’s new CEO hid all the videos on Ban Hee Soo’s YouTube channel, which had uploaded content related to the “concept world” NewJeans portrayed. Director Shin Woo-seok – the person behind NewJeans’ famous MVs – was banned from using related behind-the-scenes footage.
HYBE had previously planned for NewJeans to halt activities for 1 year and 6 months. Videos, images, and pre-debut information about NewJeans were also leaked, severely violating their privacy. Fans are convinced that NewJeans is being isolated by its own parent company and faces the risk of a prolonged activity freeze.
Following their Japanese debut with the double single “Supernatural”, NewJeans had plans to release a full album and start their first world tour. However, given the current situation, with Min Hee-jin no longer overseeing their production, these plans remain uncertain. The future of NewJeans is the most uncertain thing at the moment.
HYBE Continues to Spark Outrage
HYBE, developed from the foundation of Big Hit and catapulted to global success by BTS, has not been overshadowed in recent years. The conglomerate has expanded its influence, acquiring several small and medium-sized entertainment companies, and growing its presence in the US. In terms of revenue, HYBE has risen to the top, surpassing the BIG 3 – SM, JYP, and YG – thanks to its large roster of artists, led by global superstars BTS. In less than five years, HYBE became the largest entertainment company in South Korea.
However, happiness is fleeting. The company has shown signs of crisis since BTS entered their military service hiatus. By now, it is clear that 2024 is the most challenging year for the emerging entertainment empire. The dispute with Min Hee-jin has exposed a series of truths. Not only does HYBE have issues with NewJeans, but they also keep “provoking” the fandoms of other groups under their management. In just the first week of September, the company has faced 4 controversies that have enraged fans of its groups.
First, there’s ENHYPEN’s hectic schedule. On September 1st, BELIFT LAB – the subsidiary managing ENHYPEN – announced the start of their world tour “Walk The Line” on October 5th, 2024, just one month after completing their “Fate” tour. This means that for over a year, ENHYPEN has been constantly on tour without any rest. Adding to their touring schedule are their comeback preparations.
The fourth-generation boy group has been caught in an endless cycle of practicing, performing, and preparing new releases, leaving them with no time to “breathe.” The members have suffered injuries and their health has been seriously affected. As a result, ENHYPEN’s fans have launched a campaign to “boycott their own idol’s concerts” in protest of the company’s scheduling.
Numerous posts demanding fairness for ENHYPEN reflect the fans’ frustration with HYBE. While these actions stem from good intentions, they also bring extreme consequences, and the first to suffer are the artists.
In another development, SEVENTEEN – Pledis’ million-selling boy group – is also struggling with a packed year-end tour schedule spanning the US and Japan. The schedule has become more rushed as the Korean members of SEVENTEEN are gradually approaching military enlistment. SEVENTEEN has confirmed a second comeback this year with their 12th mini album, set for October.
However, with the comeback drawing near, the company has yet to release any information about the new album. Instead, at the beginning of September, Pledis rolled out card collectibles from the previous era “17 Is Right Here”, in a blatant attempt to milk the fandom. This move has left SEVENTEEN’s fanbase feeling exploited. Fans are unhappy and have criticized the company — and ultimately HYBE, which holds near-total control over Pledis.
On September 5th, HYBE “angered” BTS fans. Several fancams of member V were copyright claimed by the company, causing them to disappear from YouTube. Over the years, V has accumulated countless fancams with tens or even hundreds of millions of views. This issue only affects V. Many fan sites have lost their fancams and are furious because these are precious memories of fans with their idols.
Despite leading in revenue among entertainment companies, HYBE has still suffered losses in the market. Recently, HYBE’s stock has continuously dropped due to its “series of scandals.” Many BTS fans have sarcastically remarked that HYBE’s financial difficulties have forced them to copyright claim artist fancams for “a bit of pocket money.”
In addition to these incidents, HYBE is frequently called out by fandoms for poor artist care. Group members often sustain injuries, particularly to their legs. Lack of security at airports, leading to pushing and shoving that affects idols, is a regular occurrence.
Dubbed the “Destroyer of Kpop”
HYBE operates under the motto “We believe in music,” but in every aspect, this has become more ironic as the truth is uncovered. The head of the conglomerate, BTS’s “father” and HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, does not seem to believe in music that much. After these scandals, many netizens sarcastically suggest HYBE’s real motto is “We believe in money” — doing anything for profit.
Bang Si-hyuk has been called the “Destroyer of Kpop.” Toxic trends initiated by HYBE, such as producing “fast food music” (songs under 3 minutes) and girl groups that do not prioritize talent, have been heavily criticized. In a documentary about the creation of the multinational girl group KATSEYE, HYBE’s chairman faced backlash for stating that “talent is not a priority when searching for idols, but rather star quality.” This revealed why HYBE’s groups share a common weakness — poor skills, especially among girl groups nurtured by the company.
From LE SSERAFIM and NewJeans to ILLIT, all are rated poorly in terms of skills. The most notable case is LE SSERAFIM. Their disastrous live performance at Coachella 2024 severely damaged their image. To this day, LE SSERAFIM has not been able to recover their reputation and is disliked in Korea, being labeled a “national embarrassment.” The blame for this lies entirely with the management company.
The dispute with Min Hee-jin also exposed HYBE’s ugly side as a company known for plagiarism and recycling concepts. ILLIT was directly named by Min Hee-jin as a product copied from her work with NewJeans. Meanwhile, NewJeans itself was accused of having similarities with the Mexican group Jeans.
Moreover, it’s not difficult to find numerous “references” that HYBE used to create products and concepts for their artists. Untalented idols and a plagiarizing company — these are the harsh conclusions the public has about HYBE today.
HYBE has also been labeled a “water-pumping company,” accused of inflating fake achievements for its artists. One example is the rookie boy group TWS under Pledis. Although they debuted without much buzz and remain largely unknown, their debut song “Plot Twist” is a strong contender for year-end Daesang awards due to its high rankings on digital charts.
When the song first debuted earlier this year, Kpop fans pointed out several irregularities. The chart rankings did not reflect the actual situation. TWS was accused of manipulating the charts.
By chasing short-term gains and creating numerous toxic trends, HYBE has found itself in a difficult situation. The company’s revenue is declining and public criticism is increasing, despite its rapid growth over the past 5 years. All of this is happening at a time when BTS – HYBE’s foundation – is not active as a group, and when the public’s tolerance for scandals is at an all-time low. Today, Bang Si-hyuk must face an undeniable fact: HYBE is being called the “Destroyer of Kpop,” for ruining the legacy that BTS and Big Hit once built.
Source: K14