“They deserve so much better” — Fans outraged as NewJeans' Hanni reveals overhearing HYBE manager allegedly instructing their artist to ignore her

Following Min Hee-jin's dismissal as CEO of ADOR, NewJeans launched a new YouTube channel on September 11, 2024, and demanded that Min Hee-jin be reinstated as ADOR's CEO. However, after the YouTube livestream, they deleted the channel. Meanwhile, Hanni revealed that a while back, she heard a manager of another group allegedly tell the artists to "ignore her."

"Not too long ago something happened to me. At HYBE on the 4th floor, there is a shared hair and makeup place. A lot of other artists and workers pass by there often, one day I was waiting in the hallway. Another team and their manager passed by and I greeted them. That manager told them to ignore me, I could hear everything in front of me, they said to ignore me."

NewJeans' Minji expressed frustration and admitted that she was shocked when she learned what happened with Hanni. Minjin asserted that amid an ongoing feud, she wonders how much more they all would have to face such alleged mistreatment.

Hanni continued that she took the matter to ADOR's new CEO, Kim Joo-young, and told her about the incident. However, Hanni alleged that the new CEO brushed off her concerns.

"When I saw that she was trying to move on from that matter I realized that the person who protected us is gone. I realized that we have no higher ups that care about us anymore. I told her honestly but she made me feel like a liar," Hanni added.

NewJeans supporters were shocked by the new revelation and expressed their concern towards the group's mental well-being. One fan wrote on X:

"They deserve so much better"

Fans expressed their outrage towards HYBE and lauded the girl group for showing the courage to share their stories from behind the camera.

"NewJeans is proving to be one of the strongest groups by standing up for themselves, yet it's deeply frustrating how their mistreatment is being overlooked. HYBE's actions are visibly damaging their career, mental health and it's unfolding right in front of us," one fan wrote.

"All I can say is that I feel so terrible for these 5 girls. They've poured their entire life into becoming idols just for their career to be ruined by a bunch of petty adults like this. None of them deserve this, theyre all victims and I hope they know it is not their fault," another fan wrote.

"The atmosphere of this live is just so so so very heavy, they're so brave for this, but I can't help but feel scared for them," another fan added.

Others claimed that HYBE didn't want the girl group to stay in the company.

"At these point, we can surely tell that HYBE don't want NEWJEANS anymore. Cause wth? How can you, as a manager, tell your group, to ignore a innocent girl?" one fan commented.

"I know mhj sucks, gets too envolved and exploits the girls with her questioning ethics but at the end of the day i really cant blame them for sticking by her, hybe is an evil corporation, headed by an evil guy, they will never respect the girls when they see them as a threat," another fan stated.

"That’s really tough to hear. It’s concerning when a manager disregards team members like that. Hopefully, this situation leads to better communication and respect in the future," another fan added.

---

NewJeans demands reinstating Min Hee-jin as ADOR's CEO

Following a months-long conflict between Min Hee-jin and HYBE, ADOR removed her from the CEO role, claiming the necessity to separate management and production. As ADOR's parent company, HYBE holds 80% ownership of the label and appointed Kim Joo-young as ADOR's new CEO on August 28, 2024.

Min Hee-jin was appointed as the creative director of ADOR and was asked to sign a two-month contract to oversee the girl group's production. The contract stated that if her performance as the creative director fell short, then her contract would be terminated. Min Hee-jin refused to sign the contract and has been demanding to be reinstated as ADOR's CEO since August 28, 2024.

Meanwhile, the rookie girl group's YouTube livestream came around two weeks after that decision. Danielle stated that Min Hee-jin is integral to NewJeans as she always fought for their rights and discussed everything with the group.

"Min Heejin is not only the person who produces our music but someone who makes NewJeans who we are (…) she is integral to NewJeans’ identity and we all feel that she is irreplaceable."

---

The disagreement between HYBE and Min Hee-jin first made news in April 2024. HYBE accused her of an alleged company takeover to split from its parent company and take NewJeans with her. Reportedly, Min Hee-jin had requested the termination of NewJeans contracts with HYBE in January 2024.