“Is Min Hee-jin compatible with the K-pop patriarchy?”

There is ongoing controversy over the foreign media's framing of the conflict between Adore CEO Min Hee-jin and HYBE as a struggle of Korean women in the workplace against the patriarchal domestic organizational system.

On the 5th (local time), the British daily Financial Times (FT) reported an article titled ‘Star producer fighting K-pop patriarchy, captures the interest of Korean women.’

This media recently attracted attention by looking at the conflict between CEO Min and HYBE through the frame of men and women and the system.

Regarding CEO Min's profanity-laced remarks towards HYBE executives at a recent press conference, he said, "Korea is a country where 6% of female executives in the top 100 companies are female," and "CEO Min is criticizing and getting angry at his male boss." “It captivated these young Korean women.”

Representative Min held a press conference announcing his position on the 25th of last month and said, 'The dog and uncle captured all kinds of KakaoTalk messages in a mean-spirited manner, saying they were going to kill me', 'If you're going to come in, come in the opposite direction', 'X from behind He made remarks such as ‘Don’t be so nervous’.

Additionally, a woman in her 30s living in Seoul said of CEO Min's actions regarding this incident, "This is what we experience every day in a male-centered and hierarchical corporate culture, and she is saying exactly what we want to say." He also quoted an interview he gave.

Although some of the public seemed to sympathize with the report from this perspective, there were also many voices that disagreed. One K-pop fan said, "Isn't this issue about CEO Min's takeover of management rights? It is an excessive interpretation to put a gender-discriminatory frame on what CEO Min said during the public opinion battle that took place in the process." He also raised his voice, asking, “Why are foreign media’s prejudices against Korea, such as patriarchy, applied to this issue?”

In addition, he added, “Min Hee-jin is just emotionally misleading public opinion to defend herself,” and “It is excessive to give this kind of value to someone who earns 100 billion even by sitting still on 2 billion won in incentives.”

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr