A parent of New Jeans' member, Mrs. A, said in the interview, "On the day of Min Heejin's press conference on the 25th. Three of us, including me, went to HYBE. We were worried about what might happen with CEO Min's press conference. We thought we might be able to bridge the gap between HYBE and ADOR."
Mrs. A claimed, "Bang Sihyuk doesn't only refuses the greetings of my daughter, but the other members' too. They all had similar experiences since their debut. One member even said that he refused to response to her greetings even though they were in the elevator together."
She went on to say, "When we raised this issue, HYBE's staff said, 'Mam, it's a misunderstanding,' and mentioned that 'Chairman Bang may have prosopagnosia (NB: Face blindness)." Mrs. A also added, "I thought, 'Even if he really does have prosopagnosia, wouldn't he hear the greetings? And even if he can't recognize who it is, wouldn't you normally respond when someone greets you?"
The parents of New Jeans expressed their disbelief in at the time, stating, "We wonder why Bang Sihyuk ignored New Jeans' members and avoided greeting them every time the girls encountered him in the company." They mentioned instances where their children felt ignored and sensed being avoided on purpose, not just once or twice but multiple times. They expressed their astonishment as parents at such immature and unbelievable behavior, feeling at a loss for words to comfort their children, who are only middle and high school students.
In response to these claims, a representative from HYBE stated in a call with Chosun.com, "We have no separate statement."
When asked if it was true that Chairman Bang Sihyuk did not greet the New Jeans members, he said, "It's difficult to answer."
-If he suffers from prosopagnosia, isn't it impossible for him to work in the industry? Just quit
-Why is it difficult to answer? Can't they just respond with a yes or no?
-Looking at how HYBE couldn't find an answer, it seems like Bang Sihyuk never responded to New Jeans' greetings at all. Why is he acting like that at his age??
-It's confirmed, they couldn't answer because Bang Sihyuk never responded to New Jeans' greetings. Pathetic.
-HYBE couldn't answer because the claim is true. Bang Sihyuk must be ashamed of himself, ignoring greetings from kids younger than him.
-Disgraceful.
-Apparently, there are witnesses not only from HYBE staff but also from broadcasting station people, so they can't deny itㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Seriously?? He never responded to New Jeans' greetings?? Not even once?? How can someone in his 50s act like that towards teenage girls??
-The claims are true, then.
-Even residents in the same apartment building at least exchange nods in the elevator...
-They can't answer because it's true. It's really bad.
-Honestly, everything about this situation is ridiculous.
-It's shameful, really.
-The fact that such a person is a chairman of a company... Wow...
