NewJeans, the popular K-pop girl band of Hybe’s music subsidiary Ador, is turning out to be the biggest victim in the ongoing feud between Hybe and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, sparked by Min's alleged breach of trust, an industry source said Monday. It was all about NewJeans from the start, when Min sent an email to the executives of Hybe on April 3 arguing that new girl group Illit, which debuted under Belift Lab, another Hybe subsidiary, had plagiarized NewJeans’ style and concept.

In a petition filed with the court Friday, Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk made public for the first time his stance on the ongoing feud over Ador CEO Min Hee-jin’s alleged breach of trust. The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convened a hearing on the preliminary injunction filed by Min against Hybe to prohibit the parent company from exercising voting rights in favor of a proposal to dismiss her at an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for May 31. “The only way

BTS' Jimin and actor Song Da-eun are embroiled in yet another romance scandal after Song on Thursday shared videos and photos on her social media that some have interpreted to mean the two are in a relationship. The actor posted a video of a man, covered by a big emoji, walking by the sea to her Instagram. Netizens argue that the seaside spot is the same location that Jimin visited in the “(Bangtan Bomb) A Boisterous Shooting of ‘3J -- BTS’" content released on BTS&rs

Explore legendary Korean comics Visit the National Library of Korea this weekend to explore a special exhibition that delves into the history of Korean comics, or manhwa, by following the career of Lee Hyun-se -- the cartoonist behind one of Korea's most successful series ever published, "A Daunting Team." The exhibition, titled "The Road of Lee Hyun-se: Start of K-webtoon Legend," is free of charge and divided into three parts. The first part introduces various wor

If NewJeans, the popular K-pop girl band under the music label Ador, were "given" a year and a half "break" after their Tokyo Dome concerts in Japan next month as Hybe CEO Park Ji-won promised the parents of NewJeans members, the still-new band could be critically impacted, music critics said Thursday. Three parents of NewJeans members met with Park on April 25 -- the day Ador CEO Min Hee-jin held a press conference to refute an alleged attempt to usurp the management rights

K-pop celebrities' attendance at the 2024 Met Gala last week has landed them in hot water, along with other celebrities who attended the event, for their silence on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Since Jennie of Blackpink and the boy group Stray Kids attended the gala on May 6, some fans have been calling on the celebrities to speak publicly about the war. The names of celebrities at the fashion event were shared on social media platforms, alongside calls to boycott them by unfollowing or bl

Embattled Ador CEO Min Hee-jin has drawn NewJeans’ members' parents into the ongoing dispute between Hybe and herself in an bid to strengthen public sentiment against the parent company, Hybe said Monday. A local media outlet, Monday, disclosed an email from the parents of NewJeans’ members sent to Hybe through Ador on April 3. Ador, one of the 11 subsidiaries of Hybe, is the music label behind NewJeans. In the email, the parents expressed their regret towards Hybe CEO Park Ji-w

Beleagured Ador CEO Min Hee-jin’s fate as the leader of the Hybe subsidiary will practically be decided Friday, the day of a hearing for the injunction against Hybe, according to an industry source, Monday. Min, on May 7, filed for an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court to prohibit Hybe from exercising its voting rights in favor of a proposal to dismiss her. With Ador’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled to take place May 31, the court’s decision o

Popular girl group NewJeans of Ador is making its first appearance on a TV reality show amid the ongoing conflict between its music label CEO Min Hee-jin and the parent company Hybe. Public broadcaster KBS recently confirmed NewJeans’ participation in its reality-variety show “2 Days & 1 Night.” “We have recently finished filming the upcoming episode with NewJeans and it will air sometime in mid-June,” KBS said Monday. Hyein, one of the five group members, did n

What started as a dispute between Hybe and Min Hee-jin, the CEO of its subsidiary, Ador, over Min's alleged attempt to usurp management rights is getting messier. Hybe last Friday released a statement saying it would take civil action against Min for revealing an internal audit it had conducted Thursday of Ador’s styling directing team leader over suspicion of embezzlement. Ador’s team leader is alleged to have received advertising fees directly from an advertiser instead of thr

Despite the ever-expanding presence and influence of K-pop around the world, K-pop artists and fans are still affected by racism. K-pop boy group Stray Kids recently experienced racial discrimination at the hands of local photographers during the 2024 Met Gala, one of the biggest annual fashion events in the US, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on Tuesday. Stray Kids, who were invited to the event as the brand ambassadors of Tommy Hilfiger, were posing for photos when photogr

K-pop rookie group Illit seems to have skirted the controversy surrounding its originality, successfully landing on the Billboard 200 chart with its first EP “Super Real Me” on Tuesday. The group had been facing criticism that its concept was similar to that of the popular girl band NewJeans, which is housed under the same Hybe umbrella. According to Belift Lab, Illit ranked 93rd on the Billboard 200, less than a month after it debuted in 91st place on the Hot 100 chart with its titl

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin is likely to be removed by Hybe at the extraordinary meeting with shareholders sometime between May 27 and 30, an industry source said Thursday. Min revealed Tuesday her plan to hold a board meeting Friday with the parent company to discuss the agenda for a shareholders meeting. Hybe will most likely sack Min for the alleged breach of trust at the extraordinary meeting with evidence it has yet to disclose. “While it is difficult to speculate on the allegation of Min&rs

The feud between K-pop powerhouse Hybe and Min Hee-jin, the CEO of its subsidiary Ador, is probably one of the most controversial cases in the world of K-pop to have grabbed attention not only at home but also abroad in recent years. As music critics continue to discuss the latest developments, it is still not certain what sparked the very public fight between the influential music producers. Yet, most experts agree that there are more fundamental issues at play and that the K-pop industry is go

Army, loyal fandom of K-pop phenomenon BTS, urged Hybe to protect the group from an ongoing dispute between the company and its sublabel Ador CEO Min Hee-jin in a statement published through local media outlets on Friday. The fandom said “We support BTS, not Hybe” in a full-page advertisement printed in major newspapers. The group said while an internal feud over management at Hybe is underway, the name of BTS is being damaged by false news and rumors despite the controversy being ir

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin had asked for an exclusive right to terminate NewJeans’ contract with Hybe in February, but the request was turned down by the parent company, according to an industry source on Friday. An exclusive contract with an artist can be seen as a key asset necessary for a company’s operation. Major entertainment companies, for this reason, require exclusive contracts to be approved by the board of directors. Hybe, in turn, has a contract with Min which requires the Ador

Kakao Entertainment on Friday revealed its plan to enhance its platform, content and game businesses by creating synergy with SM Entertainment. The company's takeover of the major K-pop entertainment company recently received conditional approval from the Fair Trade Commission. Kakao Entertainment is particularly interested in expanding the music business internationally by utilizing the intellectual properties of SM artists like EXO, aespa, NCT and Riize. “Based on our joint venture

K-pop fans are raising concern over Hybe's promotional activities for BTS member RM and girl group NewJeans, as they are each set to make a comeback with new albums in May, amid an ongoing conflict between Hybe and Min Hee-jin, the CEO of Ador sublabel under Hybe. BTS and NewJeans are boy and girl groups under Big Hit Music and Ador, respectively, which both fall under the Hybe umbrella. They are considered the “beloved kids” of their producers Bang Si-hyuk and Min, who have r