“We apologize for any negative opinions”— Ministry of Culture offers an apology for Yoo In-chon's remark on NewJeans amid tampering controversy

On November 12, 2024, Korean media publication Naver reported that the Ministry of Culture apologized for Yoo In-chon's comment about NewJeans amid the tampering incident. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) issued an apology following Minister Yoo In-chon's reference to the Korean girl group during discussions on the tampering situation at the National Assembly audit.

The Ministry's formal statement, disseminated via NewJeans' fan club Bunnies on November 12, showed that the Ministry apologized for Yoo In-chon’s recent remark on the girl group.

"The comment during the National Assembly audit was meant to convey that 'tampering hinders the development of the content industry and requires self-regulation efforts rather than legal enforcement.' We apologize for any negative opinions that may have arisen due to statements that could cause confusion," the Ministry stated.

Bunnies pointed out that on October 24, during a National Assembly audit by the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, Minister Yoo addressed a query about tampering by Representative Jin Jong-oh of the People Power Party.

During the National Assembly audit, the tampering incident concerning Fifty Fifty was discussed. Minister Yoo In-chon also made a remark on NewJeans.

“This is an issue that requires considerable self-regulation by the industry and is challenging to define legally... While it’s not the same, I see NewJeans as part of this context,” he said.

During this National Assembly audit, HYBE was found to have disparaged both competition and in-house K-pop groups and planned to get rid of NewJeans.

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism briefly released leaked documents suggesting HYBE wanted to distance the five-member girl band from two other renowned groups, LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT. HYBE's campaign promoted LE SSERAFIM as a “million-seller” act while downplaying NewJeans. Thereby, it was reported that HYBE has been tampering with the image of the girl group.

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NewJeans’ fandom Bunnies brought Yoo In-chon’s statement into cognizance

Bunnies promptly issued a letter of complaint to both Minister Yoo and the Ministry. The girl group’s fandom conveyed appreciation for the Ministry's swift reply and implored the Ministry to thoroughly investigate HYBE's numerous purported violations and consider possible legal measures. They requested the Ministry to:

“carefully examine HYBE’s various alleged misconducts and review potential legal actions as indicated in the response.”

Following Yoo In-chon's remarks, the online community challenged the comparison of NewJeans to Fifty Fifty (a K-pop girl group), prompting Bunnies to send a complaint letter, which was responded to by the Ministry.

In addition to the apology, the Ministry reassured that it is actively monitoring the issues concerning HYBE and will take appropriate measures in the wake of any jurisdictional violations.

“Our division, the MCST’s Popular Culture Industry Division, is also carefully monitoring issues related to HYBE. If any violations of our jurisdictional laws are confirmed, we will take appropriate legal action. We will continue our efforts to improve the fairness of the popular culture industry”

During the same National Assembly audit, bullying claims against the girl group member Hanni were made. HYBE's Kim Joo-young, CEO of ADOR, and Hanni served as witnesses and references, respectively.

Kim Tae-ho, COO of HYBE and CEO of Belift Lab, also attended as a witness to discuss ADOR's administration and artist mistreatment.