by Journalist Lee Sunmyung
As the conflict between HYBE and Min Heejin intensifies, HYBE sparks criticism as they are suspected of doing a 'reverse viral' (the act of intentionally making negative publicity) campaign.
The suspicions arose after ILLIT's official Twitter account, operated by BELIFT Lab, followed a Twitter account that had consistently posted negative comments about New Jeans. Previously, ILLIT's official Twitter account only followed HYBE's official accounts and accounts related to ILLIT. This account is known to be managed not only by BELIFT Lab, but also ILLIT's members.
Fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with this situation. In response, ILLIT's official account unfollowed that fan account. This whole incident has increased suspicions of HYBE's 'reverse viral' campaign, especially as negative posts about New Jeans are currently being widely posted across the internet.
This is not HYBE's first time being suspected of doing 'reverse viral' campaign. In December 2019, negative comments appeared on EXO-related articles. Typically, comments on EXO-related articles were from women in their teens and 20s, but the negative comments mostly came from women in their 30s and 40s.
