The British daily Financial Times previously introduced an article titled ‘Star Producer Fighting K-Pop Patriarchy Captivates South Korean Women’ as conflicts between Min Hee-jin and HYBE surfaced. The Financial Times highlighted that ‘Min Hee-jin is seen as a hero to young women,’ but the subsequent allegations against her have been nothing short of shocking.
Following the accusations of member poaching, new allegations include shamanistic management and the concealment and support of a sexual harassment perpetrator. A media outlet reported that Min Hee-jin spent approximately 70 million KRW on shamanistic rituals and prayers in 2021 and revealed her special friendship by delivering snacks to a shaman. Additionally, the content of Min Hee-jin’s prayers with the shaman included a prohibition on imitating a former girl group star.
![min hee jin](https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2024/05/30094214/min-hee-jin-1-053024-1.jpg)
The report also indicated that Min Hee-jin ignored a sexual harassment incident reported in March. Female employee B reported executive A for workplace harassment, but in conversations with executive A, Min Hee-jin encouraged a countersuit and expressed support for the perpetrator, even describing it as ‘a crime against my feelings.’ Eventually, B resigned, and executive A was only given a warning.
Despite the mounting allegations, Min Hee-jin remains focused solely on legal action. Unlike in the past when she held ‘urgent’ press conferences and rapidly provided explanations, she now offers no concrete explanations or significant clarifications. This starkly contrasts with her previous behavior of vigorously defending her innocence, leaving her supporters bewildered.
Min Hee-jin’s side repeatedly states, “The content of the article in question is based on speculative and reconstituted false information, and we plan to take strong legal action against it.” While she recently clarified the timeline regarding the member poaching allegations, she remains silent on the critical issues of shamanistic management and supporting a sexual harassment perpetrator, where clear explanations are urgently needed.
The image of the ‘warrior’ fighting against K-pop patriarchy and the ‘mother’ of NewJeans is collapsing under the layers of accumulating allegations. Given the gravity of the situation, concrete explanations are needed rather than mere declarations of legal action. It remains to be seen how Min Hee-jin will resolve this situation.
Source: nate