Um, Is NewJeans Okay?

Since grabbing the world’s “Attention” with their July 2022 debut, NewJeans — the K-pop group made up of members Hanni, Minji, Haerin, Danielle, and Hyein — has topped the Billboard 200, scored collabs with Apple and Coca-Cola, and inspired some truly … unforgettable covers. But since late April, they’ve been wrapped up in something of a family feud: Their parent company, HYBE, is fighting to get rid of their label’s CEO, Min Hee-jin. Depending on who you ask, this is either the story of an exec who got greedy and girlbossed too close to the sun … or of a brave creative who is being punished by a corporation for trying to protect her artistic vision. One thing’s for sure: K-pop stans are tuned in. Since this battle went public on April 22, ILLIT, BTS, and other HYBE groups have been name-dropped left and right. Even artists from other companies, like SM Entertainment’s Aespa, were brought up in all this drama-ma-ma-ma. Below, in case you haven’t had time to watch a two-hour press conference or keep up with all the back-and-forth responses, a quick primer of what to know, including whether NewJeans will be affected, if Min Hee-jin has been kicked out, and what’s up with all those cult rumors.

Before she was nicknamed the “mother” of NewJeans, she was a creative director at SM, where she worked on visuals for groups including Girls’ Generation, EXO, f(x), and SHINee. Over the course of her career, some of her concepts have been criticized as age-inappropriate, and in 2022 she denied allegations that she had glamorized pedophilia on her Instagram.

In 2019, Min joined Big Hit Entertainment, BTS’s agency, as chief brand officer. She helped it reintroduce itself as today’s HYBE Corporation, which operates a multi-label system where HYBE artists work with different subsidiary labels. (The Big Hit label, for example, is home to BTS and TXT, while Le Sserafim is under Source Music.) In 2021, HYBE announced that Min was becoming the CEO of NewJeans’ eventual label, ADOR, short for All Doors One Room. HYBE owns an 80 percent stake in it.

This conflict first went public on April 22, when news broke that HYBE had begun an audit of ADOR over allegations that CEO Min Hee-jin was planning a hostile takeover for independent management rights of the label (and thus NewJeans). ADOR released a statement on the same day, denying that it was trying to seize control. From the label’s point of view, this mess actually started because Min had brought up concerns that ILLIT, a five-member girl group under fellow HYBE label Belift Lab, had copied NewJeans in styling, choreography, music videos, and more. ILLIT debuted in March with an EP produced by Bang Si-hyuk, which sold 500,000 units in the first four weeks. So far, they’ve taken home 11 music-show wins for lead single “Magnetic.”

ADOR said it had made an official internal complaint to HYBE to protect the “cultural achievements” of NewJeans, but alleged that the company chose to try to drive Min out instead of giving a solid response. (HYBE later denied this in a statement, claiming that it actually sent her a six-page answer.)

The next day, HYBE confirmed to Billboard that it was investigating top execs at ADOR and had sent an “official letter” asking Min to step down. Per multiple local reports, HYBE’s audit involved questionnaires and requests for assets such as company files and laptops. The company said in an April 25 press release that its investigation had found evidence that Min was conspiring about how to break away from HYBE and involving her staff. According to HYBE, there were plans to pressure HYBE to sell its shares of ADOR, with one auditee allegedly admitting to creating documents to attack HYBE. The audit reportedly also revealed that Min had given instructions to prepare for a war of public opinion starting in May. HYBE declared in its press release that it was going to report Min to the police for breach of trust, which prompted her to call a press conference to personally deny wrongdoing.

During the emotional two-hour event on April 25, Min Hee-jin cried, cursed, suggested that people in her life have worried that she would try to kill herself because of this situation, and made a weird comment about NewJeans’ Minji being way prettier when she was younger. If you want a play-by-play, Korea JoongAng Daily has a lengthy summary, but Min’s main message was that she cares about protecting NewJeans and is not planning to take them away or break her contract with HYBE. Regarding HYBE’s alleged evidence, she argued that private conversations are being presented out of context. For example, HYBE claimed Min had considered involving foreign investors to facilitate a takeover plan. “We were just messing about when we mentioned the Saudi Arabia fund,” Min said, per Korea JoongAng Daily’s translation. “Would that even be possible?” In another case, she said she asked a venture-capitalist friend about contract terms, which HYBE portrayed as her reaching out to an external consultant. Basically, she’s arguing that no plans were ever put into action and that certain scenarios just reflect the way an employee complains about their job and boss.

Min name-dropped several other K-pop groups in her claims that HYBE also slighted NewJeans and ADOR prior to ILLIT’s debut. Notably, she feels NewJeans was initially shunted aside to promote Le Sserafim. At one point, Min pulled up screenshots of texts allegedly showing Bang Si-hyuk responding sarcastically to NewJeans’ global success. She also implied that she is under an unfair contract (which HYBE has, of course, denied). Her attorney, Timothy SK Lee, stepped in to note that the terms of Min’s contract were being renegotiated before this situation unfolded. “We asked [Min] not to make the internal report because it would worsen their relationships,” he said. “She went forward because she said that she wanted to make things right.”

Since the press conference, articles and press releases have continued to be pumped out on a daily basis. On May 2, several outlets reported that, per an industry source, Min had previously asked HYBE for the right to terminate ADOR’s contract with NewJeans without board approval. (HYBE reportedly suspects this was a shady step to ultimately make ADOR an “empty shell” that she could buy back later when it was worth less.) However, according to a same-day statement from Min’s lawyer, she asked in a January 25 meeting for the right to “make important decisions” regarding contracts with NewJeans as a way to protect the label’s independent management rights and “resolve the unfair interference” from HYBE during the group’s debut process. There’s been plenty of other back-and-forth allegations about salaries, stocks, financial negotiations, and the way the audit went down, but the gist is the same: HYBE claims it has proof Min engaged in illegal or unsavory business behavior in a way that can’t be written off as a joke or casual conversation, while she alleges that the company is lying or taking things out of context.

Seriously, why did this have to happen during a NewJeans comeback season? Less than a week after news of the audit broke, NewJeans dropped a music video for “Bubble Gum,” due to hit streaming services alongside “How Sweet” on May 24. (HYBE announced on April 26 that RM of BTS would release his second solo album on the same date. In response to online speculation that this was a retaliatory move to block NewJeans from top chart positions, HYBE said in an April 28 statement that Min Hee-jin knew of the coinciding release and was fine with it.) The group is scheduled to follow their May comeback with their first two Japanese singles in June, plus a fan meeting at the Tokyo Dome. Previous reports hinted that the group was planning to release a new album in the second half of 2024 and go on a world tour in 2025.

According to HYBE, NewJeans’ comeback will continue as planned. Per Deadline, the company said in an April 25 statement that it would continue to provide mental and emotional care to NewJeans and support their upcoming comeback, adding that the company will meet with the members’ legal representatives to discuss a plan to “protect” the group. It seems that HYBE still sees a future for them. But given Min’s level of involvement, some fans are worried that a NewJeans without her just wouldn’t hit the same.

Meanwhile, Min has suggested that behind the scenes, the girls have been deeply affected by unfolding events. During her press conference, she said the group’s youngest member, Hyein, cried for 20 minutes and wanted to speak out about the situation on the group’s fan app, Phoning. According to Min, other members expressed support by calling or asking to visit her.

Min Hee-jin has made it clear that her beef is with the adults at HYBE and Belift, not the 16- to 20-year-old members of ILLIT who were selected to debut after competing on the survival show R U Next?. If and when the quintet returns with new music, it seems inevitable that they will face additional scrutiny over how the choreography, visuals, and sound compare to NewJeans. But they’re currently due for a break, given that they recently wrapped their music-show stage promotions for “Magnetic” and “Lucky Girl Syndrome.”

Yonhap News reported that HYBE’s audit had found that Min Hee-jin privately told other people that Bang Si-hyuk had copied her to make BTS. Naturally, this vague allegation did not sit well with the BTS Army. In her press conference, Min denied ever saying this. Minutes before the conference, HYBE also claimed it had obtained transcripts of Min consulting a shaman about company business decisions, including who to hire. But the part that went viral was a conversation allegedly about BTS’s military service. “I think it would be better for me if BTS went, what do you think?” Min said, per a Korea JoongAng Daily translation, to which the shaman responded, “I’m trying to send them.” Min claimed that the shaman is simply a friend of hers. Regarding the chat about BTS, she said she was curious about how to plan if the company’s “ace team” would be gone.

A conspiracy theory has been circulating online that Min Hee-jin wanted to leave HYBE because it has ties to Dahn World, which has also been associated with the names Brain & Body, Dahn Hak, and Dahn Yoga. Reports from Rolling Stone and Forbes include allegations that the group is a pseudo-religious cult. Much of the speculation is based on “clues” perceived to be planted in song lyrics and music videos. Special attention has been paid to NewJeans’ “OMG” video, because Min showed a screenshot during her press conference claiming that she was threatened by HYBE execs over it. Multiple viral posts pointed out that six of the seven BTS members graduated from Global Cyber University, which was established by Dahn World founder Ilchi Lee (real name Lee Seung-heon). But it’s worth noting that many K-pop idols, including those who aren’t under HYBE, have degrees from that same school. Perhaps a virtual education simply offers a more flexible schedule?

On May 2, Dahn World issued a statement denying that it is a cult or has ties to BTS and HYBE. That same day, HYBE’s Big Hit label announced that it has taken legal action over posts spreading the “completely false” allegation that BTS is affiliated with Dahn World “or any religious cults.” The company said it has filed a criminal complaint over the cult claims, as well as recently resurfaced allegations of chart manipulation (which Big Hit has also denied).

In addition to the claims about BTS, Yonhap News reported that HYBE’s audit allegedly found Min also accused boy groups TWS and RIIZE of copying NewJeans. Min denied this in her press conference and went on to name-drop a lot of other groups while explaining the ways she felt ADOR and NewJeans have been wronged. She denied speculation that she had to do with the disbandment of Lil Uzi Vert’s ult K-pop group, GFRIEND, which was under the HYBE-acquired Source Music. She claims that HYBE promised that the members of NewJeans would be HYBE’s first girl group, but instead, in May 2022, Source Music debuted Le Sserafim first. Min and HYBE have offered very different explanations for this decision. Min alleged that HYBE wanted to confuse the public into believing that Le Sserafim was her group, while HYBE has attributed the delay to corporate restructuring needed to fulfill her request to create the ADOR label.

Min suggested that Bang Si-hyuk was insecure about Le Sserafim’s competitive prospects, given the success of IVE (which, like Le Sserafim, includes two former IZ*ONE members). She also shared screenshots that allegedly show Bang asking if she thought she could “crush” the SM girl group Aespa. Finally, she distanced herself from comparisons to another messy industry situation: “I saw what happened to Fifty Fifty, I’m not dumb.”

For its part, HYBE brought up a few groups while hitting back against claims that it did not promote NewJeans enough. According to HYBE, its comms team distributed 273 press releases for NewJeans last year. In comparison, 365 were released for Pledis, which has four teams including boy band Seventeen. While fromis_9 stans might not agree, HYBE is maintaining that it does its best to promote all of its artists.

As of publication time, no. But it seems like HYBE is trying to make it happen A-S-A-P, baby. The company previously asked ADOR to convene a board of directors meeting, since they have the power to call a shareholders’ meeting that could approve Min’s dismissal. But guess who’s on the board? Per the Chosun Ilbo, Min Hee-jin sent HYBE an email on April 29 refusing to call a board meeting, arguing in part that the request is outside the authority of an audit.

Naturally, HYBE disagreed — but it also had a backup plan. The company had already filed a court request on April 25 asking for permission to call an emergency shareholders’ meeting to replace the board members and get Min removed that way. An initial, closed-to-the-public hearing was held on April 30, reportedly wrapping up in just 30 minutes. An ADOR lawyer told journalists outside the courtroom afterward that the label plans to hold a board meeting by May 10 and a general shareholders’ meeting at the end of May. Stay tuned?