On September 11, NewJeans suddenly opened a YouTube channel and went live with all of their members. In the livestream, the girl group expressed their support for their agency’s former CEO, Min Hee-jin, while also discussing how HYBE is “dishonest and wrong” and expressing concerns about their future.
The live video was deleted shortly after it concluded, suggesting that NewJeans’ decision to go live was not permitted or authorized by HYBE.
So what prompted the girl group to make such a drastic move?
1. Concerns about the future
In the live, Hanni highlighted HYBE’s blatant disdain for the girl group following the conflict between HYBE and Min Hee-jin, claiming that HYBE even pressured other artists to ignore NewJeans.
In particular, when Hanni went to the fourth floor of HYBE headquarters to attend the company’s show, he greeted a group of artists and their manager, only to later hear the manager tell the other artists, “Ignore that girl”.
Furthermore, when Hanni told this event to the new ADOR representative, she was fired and accused of lying. This means that NewJeans is suffering from harsh treatment from HYBE, and the fact that the girl group and the members’ parents have previously made statements in defense of Min Hee-jin, effectively taking a stand against HYBE, could make the situation worse.
Given all of this, it is likely that NewJeans will suffer even more abuse and so the video is their attempt to voice these concerns before they are silenced in the future.
2. Entrusted to Min Hee-jin
In addition to the concerns, NewJeans also revealed Min Hee-jin’s importance and closeness to the former ADOR CEO, which suggests a strong level of dependence.
In particular, it is known that the members of NewJeans were so close to Min Hee-jin that they considered her a close family member, rather than just having a professional relationship, so Min Hee-jin’s removal from HYBE likely shocked the members, leading the group to believe that they no longer had a “protector” against HYBE.
Besides, NewJeans believe that Min Hee-jin is behind the group’s identity, so the members fear that they will lose the group’s popularity and personality in the future.
Min Hee-jin’s departure also raised concerns that other staff members who previously worked with the group might be removed without warning, sparking justified panic, hence the rushed live broadcast.
3. Timing
NewJeans members went live just a day before HYBE’s shareholder meeting, presumably to inform shareholders of their wishes and the situation and in the hope that shareholders will put pressure on the conglomerate.
Since NewJeans has immense marketing power, the women’s group’s speech could have a significant impact on HYBE’s stock price, prompting shareholders to take action to meet their demands.
As new artists under HYBE, NewJeans probably know that their demands will not be heard without pressure from the public and shareholders, and so they decided to express their frustration and feelings to the world to make a bigger impact.
Conclusion
Overall, while it is unlikely that HYBE will retract its decision to remove Min Hee-jin from ADOR, NewJeans’ live performance at least shed light on issues such as mistreatment, thus informing fans and the public of possible future wrongdoing.
If something unfavorable happens to the girl group (such as lack of investment, no returns, social media ban, etc.), the public and fans will at least be able to get a broader picture of NewJeans’ situation and take measures regarding it.
On the other hand, the fate of NewJeans will also depend on the results of the HYBE shareholders meeting to be held on September 12. If the women’s group’s pleas have an impact on at least some shareholders’ decisions, they will gain more traction for the future.
