HYBE’s CBO Reveals The Reason Behind Her Sudden Departure From SM Entertainment

You Quiz on the Block aired their most recent episode featuring HYBE‘s Chief Brand Officer (CBO) Min Hee Jin and it is making headlines for her surprising confessions.

Before becoming the CBO at HYBE, Min Hee Jin actually worked at SM Entertainment as their Creative Director for 17 years. Having worked for the agency from 2002-2019, she is the mastermind behind some of the label’s iconic works. From f(x)‘s gif poster…

…to EXO‘s concept for “Monster,” Min Hee Jin created some legendary works during her time under SM Entertainment.

However, it was during her appearance on You Quiz on the Block that Min Hee Jin shared the hardships she endured during her 17 year long run—that eventually led to her departure from SM Entertainment.

The HYBE CBO shared that she was promoted to her position as SM Entertainment’s Creative Director when she was already “exhausted” from all of the projects she always juggled.

When I was promoted to the Creative Director position, I was already exhausted. I was in charge of 4-5 music videos per month. It was when 4-5 albums were being released at the same time.

— Min Hee Jin

She then shared that because of her extremely hectic schedule, her 20’s and 30’s flew by in a flash.

I had no time to rest in my schedule. Honestly, I think my 20’s and 30’s were completely dedicated to my work. I worked tirelessly and then it just passed…

— Min Hee Jin

The former SM Entertainment Creative Director elaborated by sharing her schedule was in fact so busy, she never once took a “proper vacation” during her 17 year career.

I don’t think I ever took one proper vacation. Of course, I would let my team members go on vacation, but it was hard for me to go.

— Min Hee Jin

Which Min Hee Jin revealed may have led to her eventual “burn out.”

My burn out was really severe. It was to the point where I thought about quitting the job in its entirety.

— Min Hee Jin

After some contemplation, she decided to leave her position at SM Entertainment—which was hard for Lee Soo Man to hear.

When I first brought it up to him, we both started crying.

— Min Hee Jin

She shared her personal thought process behind her difficult decision, which included a lot of self-hatred for herself.

I thought to myself, ‘why am I in so much pain?’ My self-hatred was severe and my confidence was shot. I would always wonder, ‘is this happiness or is this is the end of happiness?’ Which is when I decided to leave the company.

— Min Hee Jin

Following her departure from SM Entertainment, however, it didn’t take long for other labels to reach out in an effort to scout the talented director. It was here that Min Hee Jin revealed that that’s how she came to work at HYBE.

However, I realized that I still had a lot I wanted to achieve. I had so many things that I still wanted to do and I thought, ‘I can do this.’ Because this yearning became so clear, I decided to challenge myself once again.

Just a few days later, I received calls from different companies. One of the very first calls that I received was from HYBE.

— Min Hee Jin

Wow, we can’t imagine the hardships she experienced during her 17 year career. Thank you Min Hee Jin for all your hard work! We are excited to see your genius creativity come to life at HYBE.

Be sure to catch this week’s You Quiz on the Block‘s episode with Min Hee Jin on tvN.