HYBE is facing criticism.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the parents of NewJeans members after a letter to HYBE was revealed, followed by HYBE's response.
On May 13, Ilgan Sports interviewed a parent of one of the NewJeans members anonymously. The parent shared what was said during the last meeting between the parents and HYBE.
In the interview, the parent said that after Min Hee Jin’s explosive press conference, she and the parents of three other members went to HYBE to see if they could mend the relationship between HYBE and ADOR.
“On the day of Min Hee Jin's press conference, the mothers of three members and I went to HYBE. We were worried about Min Hee Jin and hoped to be a bridge between HYBE and ADOR.”
The parent then mentioned that HYBE's CEO, Park Ji Won, was late to the meeting and that despite the parents' good intentions, HYBE wasn’t interested in hearing them out.
“CEO Park Ji Won arrived 20 minutes late. Several other executives came before him and after listening to us for just a few minutes, they pulled out a laptop and started telling us what Min Hee Jin did wrong.”
The parent also said they sent an explosive email revealing damaging information about Bang Si Hyuk and then shared shocking news about HYBE. According to the parent, HYBE planned to put NewJeans on a break for a year and a half!
“Park Ji Won later said that after NewJeans' concert at the Tokyo Dome (after Min Hee Jin's departure), HYBE planned to pause NewJeans for a long time. I couldn’t ask how long exactly, but Park Ji Won said they were looking for a Grammy-winning producer, which would take at least a year and a half. He said he would try to find one as soon as possible.”
The parent emphasized that all the members and their parents wanted NewJeans to continue working with Min Hee Jin.
“We want NewJeans to work with Min Hee Jin and stay with HYBE. All the members' parents agree on this.”
Ilgan Sports then reached out to HYBE about the parents' claims. HYBE acknowledged they did say they planned a break but said it wasn’t with bad intentions. HYBE stated:
“When we said they would take a long break, we didn’t mean they would be sidelined. Usually, after promoting, an idol gets a break. Then, they come back and promote seriously. That’s what we meant.”
Source: Ilgan Sports