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Hybe's headquarters in Seoul (Hybe) |
In the increasingly vicious brawl between K-pop powerhouse Hybe and the CEO of its sublabel Ador, Min Hee-jin, public sentiment seems to have turned favorable towards Min following her emotional press conference Thursday, during which she claimed that all she wants is the best for NewJeans, the popular K-pop girl group she produced.
Her counterattack against Hybe’s claim that she attempted a takeover of Ador, one of Hybe's sublabels, certainly attracted the public’s interest in NewJeans’ new single “Bubble Gum.”
The music video for “Bubble Gum” surpassed 10 million views just a day after its Saturday release.
Unlike most K-pop music video comment sections on YouTube that are plastered with English responses, comments on “Bubble Gum” were mostly in Korean, showing their support for NewJeans and Min.
Fans wrote “NewJeans is the pride of K-pop. No matter how hard one tries to copy them, no one can imitate their unique characteristics,” and “We can see how Min Hee-jin loves these girls. Her talent is outstanding.”
Hybe, which told local reporters immediately after the press conference that it would not rebut Min’s statement as there was “too much false information,” took a very different approach the following day. In a press release that was apparently hastily drawn up -- it was riddled with grammatical errors -- Hybe rebutted Min’s claims.
Meanwhile, Hybe filed a request with the court for an extraordinary general meeting to seek Min’s resignation, a process that could take about two months, after Min notified Hybe on Monday that Ador's board of directors will not comply with Hybe's request to convene a shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday.
“Min disclosed too much internal conflict during the press conference that she is highly unlikely to continue working with Hybe. Now the keys are in the hands of NewJeans and their parents,” said an industry insider, adding that the group members will have the choice of staying under Hybe or leaving with Min.
“The multilabel system must be like a palette in which diverse colors coexist. This is a way not only to enlarge the pie but also to reduce risks in the long term. Hybe’s multilabel system is unlike a palette but instead, a competition in which the sublabels have to compete with one another. If the conflict between the executives remains, its artists will be negatively influenced,” said music critic Lim Hee-yoon.
