HYBE Blasted For “Bizarre” Media-Play Pressuring Reporters In Scathing Exposé
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.
A news outlet exposed HYBE for reportedly pressuring news and media companies to write unfavorable articles about Min Hee Jin.
On May 28, Ilgan Sports exposed HYBE for their media play. According to the news outlet, HYBE’s intentions for suddenly auditing Min Hee Jin were very clear.
The goal of this type of media play isn’t clear to see. Are they trying to fire Min Hee Jin? Or make society outcast her? HYBE’s irrational media play continued. For 3 days, articles rained down about how Min Hee Jin had allegedly claimed that RIIZE, TWS, ILLIT, and BTS had been made as a result of copying her.
— Ilgan Sports
In their bombshell article, Ilgan Sports then revealed that a HYBE marketing officer had gone into a news outlet to complain about an article about Min Hee Jin meeting important HYBE investors. The outlet writes that HYBE had wanted the investors names to be excluded to make it seem like Min Hee Jin had met with investors that had nothing to do with HYBE.
Not only did they use small investors, but HYBE also irrationally used its major shareholders as pawns for their media play. During the trial over Min Hee Jin’s injunction, HYBE revealed Min Hee Jin had met with their major investors D and N. Right before the trial, it was reported that D and N were Doonamoo and Naver.
After it was reported that Min Hee Jin met with Doonamoo’s Song Chi Hyung and Naver’s CEO Choi Soo Yeon, it was then reported that the two investors couldn’t help in a fight for control over management. HYBE’s top PR representative then went to the outlet that reported this and demanded they erase the names in the article but was refused. HYBE had publicly revealed that Min Hee Jin had met with executives for its major shareholders but then absurdly demanded the media outlet delete the names of the executives once they were revealed.
— Ilgan Sports
Ilgan Sports continued revealing another instance of HYBE’s bizarre media play.
The most irrational media play was 20 minutes before HYBE’s press conference, in which they announced the audit; HYBE released a press release saying that Min Hee Jin was using a shaman to run ADOR. The allegations in the press release, which claimed Min Hee Jin was being coached by a shaman, were all denied by Min Hee Jin the day before in her answer to HYBE’s inquiry on the 24th.
Even more problematic is that once Min Hee Jin had sent her answer to HYBE’s inquiries, HYBE refused to release them and threatened to take legal action if any publication did so. Then 20 minutes prior to the press conference they sent out a press release saying it was Min Hee Jin who was threatening legal action.
Ilgan Sports
Ilgan Sports then went on to scold HYBE’s PR team and revealed that they had pressured and tried to coerce news outlets to write unfavorable articles about Min Hee Jin.
After the April 25 audit announcement, HYBE’s head PR representative asked why Ilgan Sports and (redacted news outlet) were siding with Min Hee Jin. We had never sided with Min Hee Jin. We only wrote about her news conference…
In the entertainment industry, there’s a saying that you can endure criticism, but you shouldn’t become the target of ridicule. Since it’s an industry that thrives on image, this holds especially true. Because it’s not something quantifiable, PR professionals in the entertainment industry devote the most thought and effort to this aspect. HYBE’s PR representatives complain as the ruling over the injunction nears, that rational news outlets side with them, but emotional appeal-driven fans still favor Min Hee-jin. For someone in the industry who closely observes how fans in the entertainment industry move and react, it’s something one should never say. It shows their contempt for reason.
— Ilgan Sports
What are your thoughts?
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