But these critics seem unable to distinguish between investment and charity.
HYBE is not a charity organization that generously bestowed kindness upon Min Hee-jin and the NewJeans members—it is a company that invests in idols to generate profit. Isn’t it only natural for a company to make investments to ensure future revenue?
HYBE’s investment in ADOR was 21 billion KRW, while ADOR’s net profit was 26.5 billion KRW. This means that NewJeans has already generated profits exceeding the initial investment for both ADOR and HYBE. (Additionally, there are allegations that Kim Joo-young’s ADOR siphoned off 4.1 billion KRW to HYBE IM. Reports suggest that this could have reduced the artists’ earnings: “The amount distributed to artists may have decreased”… Allegations of HYBE IM inflating revenue through transactions with ADOR.”)
Since NewJeans has already repaid the investment, why should they feel indebted?
Simply put, NewJeans members are not trying to run away by fabricating false accusations because they don’t want to pay back their investment.
If the members were purely motivated by money, why would they attempt to leave HYBE, the biggest entertainment company in South Korea? Which other company could promise them greater financial success and a better work environment? (Critics try to equate NewJeans with FIFTY FIFTY, but the two cases are completely opposite.)
If HYBE had truly done nothing wrong, would the members have fought against South Korea’s most powerful entertainment company just to escape?
Would NewJeans Exist Without HYBE’s Financial Support?
Would NewJeans have achieved the same level of success if even one of its members were different?
The success of NewJeans was achieved collectively.
If even one element was missing, there is no guarantee that the same results would have been possible.
When we strip away all the unnecessary noise, what remains is simply this:
Critics are angry that NewJeans and Min Hee-jin are not acknowledging HYBE’s role in their success.
However, neither Min Hee-jin nor the NewJeans members have ever claimed that they succeeded entirely on their own.
They are merely stating that HYBE interfered with their activities and that workplace bullying occurred.
For these critics, the mere act of raising an issue is seen as arrogance or disrespect.
To them, idols are nothing more than “products” that must obediently follow their company’s orders.
Perhaps these people are still mentally trapped in a slave-era mindset. (But then why do they treat Bang Si-hyuk as their ‘master’?)
“Without HYBE, NewJeans Wouldn’t Have Succeeded?”
What critics are really trying to say is that NewJeans wouldn’t have been as successful if not for HYBE’s brand power and the “BTS’s little sister” image.
However, Min Hee-jin was already recognized as one of the top figures in the industry before joining HYBE. (Even Bang Si-hyuk admitted this himself in a message revealed during Min’s press conference: “I have become a fan.”) Why do some people refuse to evaluate Min’s actual capabilities and instead insist that HYBE simply treated her generously?
As for the NewJeans members, they were chosen as trainees because they showed potential, and they later proved their value and ability through their extraordinary success.
The idea that NewJeans could only succeed because of HYBE is completely unfounded.
If that were true, I have a question for these critics:
If NewJeans’ success was purely due to HYBE’s influence, how should we interpret the underperformance of other HYBE labels that failed to achieve similar results?
