Fact Check: Did ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin Mention BLACKPINK As One Of HYBE’s Targets?

It does seem like HYBE was targeting big K-Pop groups.

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.

On April 25, ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin held a press conference to discuss her ongoing feud with HYBE.

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Min Hee Jin

During the press conference, she mentioned many topics but one of the most inflammatory was her exposing text messages between her and HYBE’s Bang Si Hyuk where the latter allegedly said he wanted to “crush” aespa.

Some have also claimed that Min Hee Jin and Bang Si Hyuk discussed BLACKPINK in a similar way.

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BLACKPINK | YG Entertainment

On X, posts circulating state Min Hee Jin discussed “competing” BLACKPINK with Bang Si Hyuk and provided translations and proof to support these claims. Each post has thousands of retweets and has sparked outrage, as seen with Bang Si Hyuk’s mentioning of aespa.

The posts include a photo of Min Hee Jin pointing to text messages on a screen, as well as a text blurb about HYBE paying for NewJeans to have brand deals to directly rival BLACKPINK.

As this was how she exposed Bang Si Hyuk’s alleged messages about aespa, it is easy to believe that something similar could have happened with BLACKPINK.  But was this the case?

First, looking at the screenshot of Min Hee Jin’s text messages, you can see a conversation being had. However, this conversation does not mention BLACKPINK at all and is instead about another topic.

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| KoreaJoongDaily

Min Hee Jin: But I’m not trying to be too stubborn.
Bang Si Hyuk: Please tell me whatever it is that you want.
Min Hee Jin: Please be flexible and adjust accordingly.
Bang Si Hyuk: Yes, I know you are that type of person. I am also the type to say something if it’s wrong. I’ll make sure no shame goes to how you are treated.
Min Hee Jin: I feel sorry for hearing such touching words.

The text blurb about brand deals does include a mention of BLACKPINK. However, Min Hee Jin did not say it. The paragraph is from an alleged HYBE employee who posted a review on BLIND (a job platform similar to Glassdoor) that contained many other points.

 

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| Blind via theqoo

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a post saying all the right things. If you think about their position of copying an event, wouldn’t that mean BP (Blackpink) did it first? Did you receive consent from BLACKPINK regarding individual ambassador promotions? You stayed quiet when HYBE got you ambassador deals, but are speaking up when another label “copies” you.

— Alleged HYBE Employee’s BLIND post

So, despite how many twists and turns this feud has had, Min Hee Jin did not mention BLACKPINK during her press conference as one of HYBE’s targets.

HYBE vs. ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin

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