Soon after, the girl group gained significant support from both fans and industry experts.
For example, WJSN’s Dawon posted a compilation of their album covers with the simple caption “forever.” Fans believe this gesture indicates Dawon’s full support for NewJeans amidst the internal conflict between HYBE and Min Hee Jin, the former CEO of its subsidiary Ador. Additionally, baseball player Kim Do Young quietly posted a photo of a T-shirt featuring the K-pop girl group’s rabbit mascot.
Many legal experts have expressed their support for Min Hee Jin, while criticizing HYBE’s unprofessional handling of the situation. Lawyer Lee Hyun Gon argued that the company is deliberately prolonging the legal issues against the former CEO of Ador.
“HYBE’s goal is not to resolve disputes, but to extend them. When one issue is resolved, they raise another. They are using disputes as an excuse to do what they want without respecting the law,” the lawyer argued.
Additionally, over 16,000 NewJeans fans have expressed their support for the group, demanding that HYBE provide proper explanations to both the group and its audience.
The five members’ decision to expose HYBE is believed to be related to Min Hee Jin’s dismissal from Ador, where she was replaced by Kim Ju Young, a member of the HYBE board. While Ador stated that Min Hee Jin remains the creative director and continues to be involved in the production process, it vehemently opposed the decision, calling it a “unilateral dismissal.”
Currently, Min Hee Jin has filed for a court order to seek reinstatement as CEO of Ador. She is asking the company to hold a special shareholders meeting to vote on her reinstatement. If approved by the court, Hee Jin could be re-elected to the board and possibly reinstated as CEO.
Source: Kenh14
