HYBE’s New Leadership Commits to Principled Response Amid NewJeans' Demands

While the group NewJeans issued an ultimatum to HYBE through emergency live broadcasts, the new CEO of HYBE, Lee Jae-sang, announced his plan to "respond according to principle."

At the extraordinary shareholders' meeting held on the morning of the 12th, Lee Jae-sang's appointment as an inside director was approved as originally planned. During the meeting, Lee Jae-sang stated, "We will respond calmly and according to principle" regarding NewJeans' live broadcasts.

On the 11th, NewJeans hosted an emergency live broadcast and gave HYBE an ultimatum. They demanded the reinstatement of former CEO Min Hee-jin by the 25th and the restoration of the system and environment that existed before the conflict between HYBE and Min Hee-jin began.

NewJeans emphasized that trust between them and HYBE was broken, citing the disclosure of pre-debut and medical records, and the lack of action from management despite issues such as a comment from another team manager at HYBE saying, "Ignore you." Additionally, NewJeans claimed that they could not trust Kim Joo-young after learning about former CEO Min Hee-jin's dismissal through the news.

In April, HYBE sued former CEO Min Hee-jin on charges of breach of trust, alleging that she was attempting to take over the management rights of ADOR. Min Hee-jin countered by claiming that HYBE neglected NewJeans and allowed subsequent girl groups, such as I'LL-IT, to plagiarize NewJeans, framing her as trying to protect them.