HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang Responds to NewJeans' Ultimatum with Calm and Principle

HYBE's new CEO, Lee Jae-sang, has responded to NewJeans' public ultimatum by stating that he will 'respond calmly and according to principles.' However, industry insiders interpret this stance as a de facto rejection of NewJeans' demands.

On the morning of the 12th, the agenda to appoint Lee Jae-sang as CEO was passed as originally planned during HYBE's extraordinary shareholders' meeting. It was reported that the new CEO commented on NewJeans' live broadcast from the previous day, saying, 'We will respond calmly and according to principles.'

NewJeans, an artist under HYBE's subsidiary label ADOR, demanded during an emergency live broadcast that Min Hee-jin be reinstated as ADOR's CEO by the 25th. Hae-rin expressed her intention to boycott, stating, 'I do not want to conform, sympathize, or follow the situation they are in. I will not choose to go in that direction.'

Hye-in added, 'HYBE's way of working is neither honest nor right. Please stop interfering. Reinstate our CEO and return ADOR to its original state. We are not asking for better treatment, just that everyone does their job well in their respective positions. We hope our request is granted.'

Danielle openly supported Min Hee-jin, saying, 'From a human perspective, it would be nice if HYBE stopped harassing CEO Min. HYBE just seems like an inhumane company. What can we learn from such a company?'

Min-ji emphasized, 'What we want is for Min Hee-jin to remain as CEO, combining management and producing as originally intended. This is the way to avoid conflict with HYBE. If our opinion has been well conveyed, we hope Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and HYBE make a wise decision to restore ADOR to its original state by the 25th.'

NewJeans' demands during the live broadcast included the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin as ADOR's CEO, essentially calling for the 'Min Hee-jin system' at ADOR. Lee's statement that he will 'respond calmly and according to principles' is interpreted as a rejection of these demands. HYBE had previously stated multiple times that the dismissal of former CEO Min Hee-jin and the separation of management and producing were conducted according to procedures and principles. The appointment and dismissal of subsidiary CEOs are decided by the board of directors, and the separation of management and producing is a system applied to other labels as well.

Although CEO Lee Jae-sang made a brief response, HYBE has yet to release an official statement on the matter.

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-sang has held positions such as Head of Marketing and Advertising at Hyundai Motor Company, CIGO (Chief Innovation Growth Officer) at Big Hit Entertainment, and CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) at HYBE.

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