Min Hee Jin Reveals “Sarcastic Messages From Bang Si Hyuk” After NewJeans’ Achieved Global Success
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.
ADOR’s CEO Min Hee Jin is currently in a feud with HYBE. One of the key points of her grievances that she addressed in her press conference on April 25, 2024, was that HYBE’s decision to debut LE SSERAFIM put a wrench in her plans for a girl group. She had been planning HYBE’s first girl group under Source Music, which was to be NewJeans. HYBE suddenly called her in and informed her that they would be creating a group around Chaewon and Sakura and that said group would debut first. This would then make LE SSERAFIM HYBE’s first girl group instead of NewJeans. Min Hee Jin felt betrayed by this as it had been one of the core terms for her collaboration with HYBE and Source Music to create and direct a new girl group. She also felt bad for the parents of the NewJeans’ members who had been excited to join her and be the first girl group under HYBE.
She later asked to establish ADOR and to debut NewJeans under ADOR instead so that NewJeans’ debut would not be delayed due to LE SSERAFIM’s debut. She also did not want to let the group feel uncertain about their future due to LE SSERAFIM’s debut. At first, HYBE refused and did not let Min Hee Jin or New Jeans leave Source Music. Eventually, they worked out a deal with Min Hee Jin, and Min Hee Jin brought over the contracts for NewJeans, letting them debut under ADOR.
NewJeans saw incredibly huge success. With their second single, “OMG,” NewJeans entered the Billboard Hot 100, something very difficult for a new K-Pop group to do. LE SSERAFIM only entered this chart during their 2024 comeback with “Easy.” Right after “OMG” entered the chart, Bang Si Hyuk promptly sent “Congratulations” to Min Hee Jin. But the messages that came right after caused her to feel hurt.
- Bang Si Hyuk: Are you enjoying this?
- Min Hee Jin: Kekeke.
- Bang Si Hyuk: Why are you laughing? Keke. Just because I’m really curious.
- Min Hee Jin: What? What are you curious about?
- Bang Si Hyuk: If you’re enjoying this.
Min Hee Jin claimed that she responded with “kekeke” because she was so baffled at his sudden attack. Netizens criticized Bang Si Hyuk for his sarcasm, calling him unprofessional.
- Ah, I f*cking hate his tone. This is so obvious to all that he’s being sarcastic.
- She said he sent “congratulations” right before this. I think he’s really just curious…
- I don’t know why they’re doing this when they’re all the same company.
- Isn’t Bang Si Hyuk weird too? LOL.
- I mean, if someone replied “kekeke” to their CEO, I’d be curious, too, as to what they mean.
- Although he said “congratulations,” if he follows up with such messages, I don’t think he’s sincere about the congratulations.
- Huh, why are they both like that?
Min Hee Jin alleges that Bang Si Hyuk felt bitter about NewJeans’ success after they debuted under ADOR around the same time as LE SSERAFIM, instead of being LE SSERAFIM’s successor group in Source Music as what he and the other HYBE execs had wanted.
