ADOR’s CEO Min Hee Jin is currently in a feud with HYBE. One of the key points of her grievances that she addressed in her press conference on April 25, 2024, she claimed that HYBE’s decision to debut LE SSERAFIM put a wrench in her plans for a girl group. She had been planning HYBE’s first girl group under Source Music, which was to be NewJeans. HYBE suddenly called her in, and informed her that they would be creating a group around Chaewon and Sakura, and that the group would debut first. This would then make LE SSERAFIM HYBE’s first girl group instead of NewJeans. She felt betrayed by this, as this has been one of the terms for her collaboration with HYBE and Source Music to create and direct a new girl group. She also felt bad for the parents of the NewJeans’ members, who had been excited to join her and be the first girl group under HYBE.
She later asked to establish ADOR and to debut NewJeans under ADOR instead, so that NewJeans’ debut would not be delayed due to LE SSERAFIM’s debut. She also did not want to let the group feel uncertain about their future due to LE SSERAFIM’s debut. At first, HYBE refused and did not let her leave, neither did they want to let NewJeans leave Source Music. Eventually, they worked out a deal with Min Hee Jin, and Min Hee Jin bought over the contracts for NewJeans, letting them debut under ADOR.
NewJeans saw incredibly huge success. With their second single, “OMG,” NewJeans entered the Billboard Hot 100, something very difficult for K-Pop to do. LE SSERAFIM only entered this chart during their 2024 comeback with “Easy.” Right after “OMG” entered the chart, Bang Si Hyuk firstly sent “Congratulations” to Min Hee Jin. But the messages that came right after caused her to feel hurt.
Bang Si Hyuk: Are you enjoying this? Min Hee Jin: Kekeke. Bang Si Hyuk: Why are you laughing? Keke. Just because I’m really curious. Min Hee Jin: What? What are you curious about? Bang Si Hyuk: If you’re enjoying this.
Min Hee Jin claimed that she responded with “kekeke” because she was so baffled at his sudden attack. Netizens criticized Bang Si Hyuk for his sarcasm, calling him unprofessional.
| theqoo Ah, I f*cking hate his tone. This is so obvious to all that he’s being sarcastic. She said he sent “congratulations” right before this. I think he’s really just curious… I don’t know why they’re doing this when they’re all the same company. Isn’t Bang Si Hyuk weird too? LOL. I mean, if someone replied “kekeke” to their CEO, I’d be curious too as to what they mean. Although he said “congratulations,” if he follows up with such messages, I don’t think he’s sincere about the congratulations. Huh, why are they both like that?
Min Hee Jin alleges that Bang Si Hyuk felt bitter about NewJeans’ success after the debuted them in ADOR, around the same period as LE SSERAFIM, rather than as LE SSERAFIM’s successor group in Source Music as what he and the other HYBE execs had wanted.
