Hybe VS Min Hee-jin → ARMY VS Bunnies... It only hurts the artist.

Although the conflict between Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Adore, is expected to move towards reconciliation, the emotional gulf between the group BTS and the New Jeans fandom is still deep. There are growing voices calling for an end to conflicts within the fandom that will only hurt artists.

On the 3rd, an article titled 'Army (BTS' official fandom name), but honestly, it's frustrating' was posted on an online community. The netizen who wrote the post said, "It's frustrating because everyone thinks ARMY is on Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk's side. (We're) not on Chairman Bang's side."

The netizen confessed, “I can’t think well of CEO Min, who said something about BTS that cannot be easily dismissed.” He said, "Among the many idols, it is natural to keep in check the popular idols who are the subject of competition," but added, "Even if it is a sad joke made on KakaoTalk, it is difficult for a fan of the person mentioned to easily overlook it."

At the same time, the netizen pointed out, “You may not be able to take CEO Min’s words lightly, but aren’t New Genes separate?” He criticized, saying, "If you feel unfair that BTS is being criticized because of Chairman Bang, and you are angry at CEO Min, what if you curse at New Genes and fight with the Bunnies (the official fandom name of New Genes)? I want to completely stay out of the conflict between Hybe and CEO Min."

Some fans of each group reacted sharply to this. One ARMY pointed out, “As an ARMY, how can you not be angry when you hear BTS mentioned?” Another ARMY criticized, saying, "Representative Min's action report, is there any fan who would look favorably on New Genes? Only the idol I like is a victim."

On the other hand, some Bunnies said, "It's not a fight due to negligence on both sides. New Jeans is different from BTS in terms of fandom size," and added, "There were many ARMYs who cursed and slandered New Jeans, saying they were not popular. So naturally, Hybe and ARMY were on the same side." “You can’t help but think that,” he countered, “they go to every New Genes-related content and criticize CEO Min, saying it’s a religion.”

Voices were also raised on various social media platforms, including ' One ARMY raised their voice, saying, "I don't think there's any need to fight. It's something that those who made mistakes should resolve on their own, but shouldn't we be passing the fight on to the fandom?" Another member of the public said, "We can just enjoy it the way we enjoy it without mentioning Tadol (other idols). I don't want the fandom getting involved in the fight between Hybe and CEO Min and artists being consumed."

As some fans have mentioned, conflict between fandoms does not help artists at all. In a situation where CEO Min, the subject of the conflict, has reached out to Hybe for reconciliation, the conflict between fandoms only becomes an obstacle to resolving the conflict between Hybe and CEO Min. Furthermore, it can have a negative impact on the relationships between senior and junior artists.

Moreover, BTS and New Genes artists are clearly not ‘parties’ to this conflict. This is because these are only people involved in the conflict and are not the ones who created the cause of the conflict. The meaningless conflict between fandoms, which only leaves scars on both artists, needs to stop here.

Lee Min-kyung, Ten Asia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr