Min Heejin: "New Jeans was Supposed to be HYBE's First Girl Group ... I Didn't Know They Recruited Kim Chaewon and Sakura"

 

Min Heejin, the CEO of ADOR, revealed the irrational actions of Hybe during the debut process of New Jeans.

During an urgent press conference held at the Korea Conference Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 25th, Min Heejin stated, "I didn't know that HYBE was recruiting Sakura and Kim Chaewon" and added, "Originally, New Jeans was supposed to be HYBE's first girl group."

Min Heejin said, "When I first created New Jeans, I was the one with the leadership," and continued, "But when COVID-19 broke out, I frequently clashed with Chairman Bang Si-hyuk's opinions. At that time, songs like 'Attention' and 'High Boy' had already existed."

She further revealed, "Although I had the leadership, Chairman Bang didn't like that," and continued, "In fact, HYBE should reflect on its actions. In June 2021, CEO Park Ji-won suddenly notified me that Sakura and Kim Chaewon should debut as the first girl group from HYBE. When I heard that, I cursed. They used my name and labeled it 'Min Hee-jin's girl group,' and simply because it was called 'HYBE's first girl group,' the members joined. I wondered what to say to the members' mothers."

She added, "Hyein received many casting offers since her trainee days, but she joined just because of the title 'HYBE's first girl group.' When I questioned this, they told me not to mind it. I didn't even know that Sakura and Kim Chaewon were recruited. How absurd is this? I was so angry that I was going to quit the company and hold a press conference, but they persuaded me not to."

Earlier that day, HYBE announced the interim audit results related to allegations that ADOR management attempted a takeover. According to the audit results, HYBE confirmed concrete evidence that a plan to take over management led by ADOR CEO was established, and evidence was also secured.

Min Heejin asserted that the essence of this incident is the 'plagiarism of New Jeans by ILLIT.' When HYBE raised issues with them for copying New Jeans' musical characteristics, visual concepts, etc., in the rookie girl group ILLIT introduced by HYBE's another subsidiary label, BELIFT Lab, HYBE tried to dismiss her.

theqoo

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Min Heejin, "Sending BTS to the Military Through Witchcraft? I Only Asked About It To a Shaman, HYBE Made Me Go To Therapy"

 

At the press conference today, Min Heejin responded to claims of HYBE that she tried to send BTS members to the military through witchcraft. It was reported that Min Heejin had consulted with a female shaman about major management matters such as hiring employees and more. HYBE also revealed conversation records shared between Min Heejin and the shaman since 2021, among which Min Heejin mentioned BTS. 

According to HYBE, Min Heejin asked the shaman, "So are BTS' members going to the military or not?", and the shaman replied, "They're going." Then Min Heejin said, "I think it would be better for me if BTS goes to the military. Send them offㅋㅋㅋ What do you think? I think it would be advantageous for me if they're not here." The shaman said, "I'll send them. It's not like they won a gold medal or anything."

Min Heejin responded, "Honestly, I asked whether if they were going to the military or not because as the mother of New Jeans, I only thought about my child, and HYBE is bothering me." She continued, "BTS is their ace, aren't they? I asked if it would be advantageous for us (New Jeans) to be actively promoting when the ace is not around." She also said, "Fortune telling?? This is privacy. I'm gonna be taking legal action." She also addressed suspicions of witchcraft, "She's indeed a shaman, but she's originally an acquaintance of mine. I asked her because I had to go to therapy because I couldn't get peace of mind due to HYBE."

theqoo

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Min Heejin to Hold Urgent Press Conference Today (25th) ... "Announcing ADOR's Official Stance"

 On the 25th, ADOR stated, "We will hold an urgent press conference to announce ADOR's official stance on the matter reported today." They added, "ADOR's CEO, Min Heejin, will directly convey our position on the current situation to the press."

The press conference will take place at 3PM on the 25th. 

theqoo

-Okay, let's just wait and see...

-Oh... What kind of nonsense is she going to say this time, I wonder?

-I wonder if she will accept journalists' questions???

-Return the laptop

-Don't act like you're the representative of New Jeans. Don't talk shit about other singers.

-I thought she said she won't be holding any press conferences??

-I hope she will speak clearly without beating around the bush

-The more she talks, the more she tarnishes New Jeans image. She should've just stayed quiet. 

-If she's not careful enough with her words, HYBE will probably reveal more evidence...

-Just apologize and leave. Don't drag anything and turn this into a bigger chaos. 

-She's holding a press conference instead of handing over the laptop? What else is there for her to say when there's so much evidence piled up like this?

-You better not cry

-She's probably going to talk about her own position, not ADOR's. She keeps talking as if they're still on the same boat. ADOR already announced yesterday that they have no plans to release an official statement and will be only focusing on the comeback. 

-Let New Jeans go.

-I wonder what she's trying to say.

-I bet she's gonna cry...

Continue reading Min Heejin to Hold Urgent Press Conference Today (25th) ... "Announcing ADOR's Official Stance"

The Production Cost of Historical Drama Starring Song Hyekyo and Gong Yoo Reached 800 Billion KRW ... Surpasses 'Moving'

 

The production cost of the new drama written by No Hee-kyung, which is planned to be starred by Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo, has attracted attention as a major project amounting to 800 billion won.

According to OSEN's coverage on the morning of the 25th, the drama will have a total episode of 20-24, set against the backdrop of Korea's show business growth from the aftermath of the Korean War to the 1980s. The production cost per episode for this drama is in 3 billion won range, with the total production cost expected to be in the 800 billion won range.

Last year, the Disney+ original series 'Moving' invested over 50 billion won in production costs to release a total of 20 episodes. It is speculated that the production cost of this new draa, being a historical drama with a long episode count, will surpass that of 'Moving.'

However, since the script has not yet been finalized, there is still a possibility of changes. Regarding this, Studio Dragon stated to OSEN, "As it is a project in the planning stage without a finalized script, the exact episode count and production cost are undetermined," cautiously noting the uncertainty.

theqoo

-Historical dramas usually cost a lot...

-I'm really looking forward to this drama

-Ah... It's a historical drama...

-Please air it on TV...

-Wow... 800 billion KRW?

-Historical dramas seem to cost a lot of money...

-I wonder if there's any broadcasting stations that are willing to take this drama...

-800 billion KRW?? Isn't that too much?? NO matter how much of a historical drama it is, isn't the production cost too high?

-I don't like historical dramas...

-Song Hyekyo and Gong Yoo? I have to watch it...

Continue reading The Production Cost of Historical Drama Starring Song Hyekyo and Gong Yoo Reached 800 Billion KRW ... Surpasses 'Moving'

Kep1er's Plan to Extend Their Activities Fall Through ... Disbandment in July Without Contract Renewal

Kep1er to conclude their 2-year and 6-months journey as a group. 

According to Star News' exclusive coverage on the 25th, Kep1er's members will return to their respective agencies by the end of July. Before concluding their activities, they plan to release an album and hold one final performance to bid farewell to their fans. 

Kep1er is a multinational project girl group born through Mnet's 'Girls Planet 999' that ended in October 2021. They made their debut with their first mini-album 'FIRST IMPACT' in January 2022. Since they debuted with a predetermined activity period of 2 years and 6 months, their contracts will end in July 2024. 

Despite their short period, Kep1er has achieved remarkable success in the global music market beyond South Korea. Therefore, the key executives of all members' agencies gathered to discuss extending the project activities once more. Wake One had previously stated that they would "continue to discuss extending activities" before the contract expires. If it had been realized, it would have been the first case of contract extension among idol groups produced from audition programs. That's why both Wake One and the members' agencies viewed the possibility positively. However, unfortunately, Kep1er recently decided not to extend their activities. 

Kep1er will release their first full-length album 'Kep1going' in Japan on May 8th. 

theqoo

-I really loved WaDaDa, though...

-Time sure flies really fast...

-Wow... They're really popular in Japan

-Don't go... My Xiao Ting...

-Didn't Kep1er become really popular after WaDaDa? It's a shame that they couldn't produce songs that lived up to that afterward...

-It seems like there's news of everone disbanding this year...

-It's a shame...

-Well, there's nothing we can do about it... Some agencies are probably waiting for Kep1er's activities to end so they can prepare for the girls' next debut...

-That's a really long contract for a survival show group... 2 years and 6 months.

-It's expected since some companies are preparing for their groups' debuts. 

-I'm not surprised... I'm sure their companies want to debut their own groups as soon as possible

-I already expected this... Ever since Wanna One, even IZONE disbanded without extending their activities...

-It was good while it lasted...

-Xiao Ting, please stay in Korea...

Continue reading Kep1er's Plan to Extend Their Activities Fall Through ... Disbandment in July Without Contract Renewal

'Phoning' Receives a Lot of Attention for Being Made Separately for New Jeans, Causing Suspicions of Special Treatment

So many people wondered if they're receiving special treatment since the moment they announced they would be making a separate communication app, despite the existence of Weverse. It was absurd. 

Seeing how Phoning separates from Weverse, I came to realization how extraordinary Min Heejin's ambition is. At that time, I only thought, 'HYBE is letting her do this...?' And now, as expected...

It's outrageous. They suck HYBE dry when they needed support from them, and now they're saying that HYBE didn't help them at all??? I could easily come up with ten more examples.

Just the thought of Phoning gets me worked up again. 

theqoo

-Honestly, the UI of 'Phoning' is outdated. 

-Looking at it now, it seems like they had already planned to leave from the beginning. 

-It's so uncomfortable having a separate application. The features on Weverse are complete anyway. 

-At first, everyone was crazy about the aesthetics of it. But people change their minds in an instant. 

-I thought it was just a temporary app for the concept at first, but then they kept using it and it even has a paid subscription...

-Haerin is really pretty... 

-They made Weverse so cool, and then they suddenly make an app just for New Jeans' fans... It feels awkward. 

-Yeah, I was wondering why other labels didn't say anything when this application came out? Why did HYBE only give privileges to ADOR? I've always thought about that, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it out loud because I know I'd become a target for anger if I did.

-They must've thought about leaving HYBE since then...

-Now that I think about it, it all feels planned...

-I wonder why they don't use Weverse and use Phoning instead. 

-Bang Sihyuk is really foolish.

-I wonder why didn't anyone think, 'Why make a separate app when there's already Weverse?' back then...

Continue reading 'Phoning' Receives a Lot of Attention for Being Made Separately for New Jeans, Causing Suspicions of Special Treatment

GFriend's Members Talk About the Sudden Contract Termination

 

Sowon's Interview

Q: Since you have spent your time together from the age of 21, parting ways from GFriend after 8 years wouldn't be easy. 

A: It was indeed very difficult for me to gather my thoughts at that time. The news came so suddenly. I had always thought about becoming an actress one day, but I never expected that time to be now. Despite the difficulty of parting ways and the pain it brought, I knew I had to keep moving forward, creating my own path. I couldn't just let myself drown in hardships. Of course, it took quite some time to accept that fact. It's been almost a year now, and the other members have all accepted and adapted to it. Honestly, I feel like I'm the one having the hardest time adjusting. 

SinB's Interview:

SinB: We didn't know if it was our last promotions. We couldn't be the ones to bring it up first like, 'We're not doing this anymore. We're not renewing our contracts.' So actually, before the article came out (about the contract ending), about a month before, if you see the V Live Broadcast that our members did, we were crying while watching videos of fans cheering us on. 

So, on the day the article came out, we didn't expect it to come out. That's why we cried a lot. Each three of us lived in the same dorm. I lived with Sowon Unnie and Eunha Unnie, you know? In the morning, when the articles came out, we all came out of our rooms at the same time, while crying. We didn't expect it to come out that day. We were just crying and stuff. 

So... Last year was probably a really tough year for all of us, we just didn't show it to our fans. I never expected it to be the year where I would cry so much. I think I already cried out all of my tears last year. Actually, I hope GFriend will release an album again some day... Or meet again and reunite...

theqoo

-GFriend had a lot of fans... The worst management ever...

-Why did they do that to GFriend...

-GFriend is really my favorite group ever...

-Sure, groups disband all the time. But not like this. What kind of handling is this?

-That's exactly why I hate it when people say things like 'Source Music is an angel' or Source Music is a saint'. It's disgusting. 

-Wasn't that before Min Heejin went to ADOR?

-But what I really don't understand is that Source Music itself was a well-established agency with GFriend being popular. So why did they do that?

-This is exactly why I hate Source Music.

-Their concept changed after joining HYBE, but their quality also improved. It felt like another version of GFriend. However, I agree that it was too sudden. 

-This has nothing to do with New Jeans, it's just Source Music being a scoundrel.

-This is legendary... The Shameless Ending of Source Music. It's really disappointing. 

Continue reading GFriend's Members Talk About the Sudden Contract Termination