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

Culture May 16, 2024

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

Culture May 14, 2024

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

Culture May 13, 2024

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

K-pop May 13, 2024

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

K-pop May 13, 2024

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

K-pop May 12, 2024

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 May 9, 2024

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

Culture May 8, 2024

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

Culture May 8, 2024

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

Culture May 7, 2024

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

K-pop May 3, 2024

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

K-pop May 3, 2024

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 May 3, 2024

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

Performance May 2, 2024