Korean Media Reports On The Huge Difference In Investments From HYBE Into ILLIT And NewJeans

This article is part of our coverage of HYBE vs. ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. You can read more and view the entire timeline here.

Korean media has reported on the alleged fundings that went into ILLIT and NewJeans. During her explosive press conference, ADOR’s CEO Min Hee Jin claimed that HYBE had neglected NewJeans. In order to counter this, HYBE claimed that they provided ₩16.1 billion KRW (about $11.7 million USD) to fund the establishment of ADOR. This money went into the production of NewJeans’ debut, which included trips to overseas to film their music videos for “Hype Boy” and “Attention.” Of course, this amount also covers staffing fees, administrative costs, and more.

On the other hand, news channel broadcasters Park Si Dong and Kim Eo Jun have reported that ILLIT received ₩150 billion KRW (about $109 million USD) in investments for their debut. This includes their activities even before the officially made their debut. After R U Next? concluded, the girls went on to film reality shows and other content for fans. Their music videos were also filmed overseas. The hefty investment could have been what caused Min Hee Jin to make her accusations.