SEOUL, Sept 23 — So whose side is he really on?
Kpop communities following the continued drama surrounding Kpop entertainment conglomerate HYBE, its subsidiary ADOR and its former CEO Min Hee-jin — are now trying to figure the cryptic message posted by BTS' Jungkook just who exactly it was directed to.
Over a week ago, the 27-year-old idol had posted on his dog Bam’s official Instagram account together with five heart emojis in the colours representing NewJeans members and “Artists are not guilty” in the caption, before posting “Don’t use them” hours later.
That had led to many to speculate that the post was made in support of NewJeans , with many praising his stand, speculating that he had taken a veiled swipe at HYBE, especially since it came after NewJeans broke their silence and demanded the return of ousted ADOR CEO Hee-jin.
HYBE however came out in support of Jungkook, releasing a statement amidst concerns that his account had been hacked, saying, “We have confirmed that he made the posts because he thought that under no circumstances should young artists be dragged into conflicts or used as a shield.”
The label's carefully worded statement stayed clear of referencing New Jeans, HYBE, ADOR or Hee-jin.
HYBE employees were then discovered to be anonymously posting on Blind — an app that provides an anonymous forum and community for verified employees to discuss issues — responding to Jungkook's Instagram posts.
The conversations split the community with some believing that Jungkook’s message was directed at Hee-jin, as others think he was calling out HYBE itself
The discussions on the app further confused many, with the bewilderment of those within the organisation itself on show.
“I feel even more bitter. What have we been working for?”, posted an employee.
Other comments included, “It feels like the company is really falling apart,” “Of all artists, why this one? Is this a sign the company is doomed? A signal to escape?”, “Artists aren’t guilty, that's true. I’m not guilty either — so what are those who are guilty doing right now?”, “It feels like they're determined to destroy everyone else,” and “Once again, it’s clear that we, the ordinary employees, are insignificant.”
One HYBE employee asked, “Isn’t this directed at former CEO Min Hee Jin?”
“Look at how this is being interpreted and sparking more controversy. What’s good about that?,” stated another.
The most recent conversations of just who Jungkook is supporting, was reignited with a Youtuber arguing that the BTS member was criticising Hee-jin.
He pointed out that Jungkook’s criticism was aimed at someone not to use NewJeans, which pointed directly to Hee-jin whom he accused of continuously involving the girl group while HYBE has generally steered clear of officially mentioning NewJeans, reported Allkpop.
The Youtuber argued that Jungkook was cleverly protecting NewJeans by showing support for the group while avoiding direct criticism of Hee-jin, noting that ARMY had also expressed its views opposing the possible return of Hee-jin.
The debate saw many commenting on the video that HYBE had been manipulating media narratives against NewJeans since before the legal disputes, and accused the Youtuber of exploiting idols content.
Others suggested that the the points could also apply to HYBE, emphasising that the only opinion that mattered was that of NewJeans, who have expressed their desire to continue working with Hee-jin.
Reactions include accusations of Jungkook serving as a HYBE spokesperson while others remarked that HYBE should stop using Jungkook too.
“HYBE employees already got triggered and criticized Jungkook, didn't they? LOL” read one of the comments while another chimed in that “NewJeans themselves say they want to keep working with Min Hee Jin, so what does a third party know?”
