On July 22, K-pop girl group NewJeans celebrates its third debut anniversary, a milestone made complex by the ongoing dispute between their former executive producer Min Hee-jin and parent company HYBE. Far from being a case of failed corporate conflict, experts argue that the situation reveals deeper structural tensions within the K-pop industry—between creative autonomy, capital power, and gender dynamics.
NewJeans and the HYBE – Min Hee-jin Conflict
In a recently published academic paper titled “Creativity, Power, and Gender in the K-pop Industry: A Structural Analysis Through the Min Hee-jin Case,” Go Yoon-hwa of the Academy of Korean Studies posits that the HYBE-ADOR clash underscores fundamental questions of who holds creative authority and how culture is produced in a corporatized entertainment system.
While much of the public has viewed the case as a straightforward clash between HYBE’s Bang Si-hyuk and Min Hee-jin, Go asserts that it reflects a deeper conflict over “organizationally controlled creativity” versus “independent visionary production.”
Power Structures, Innovation, and Gender in K-pop
HYBE’s transformation into a multi-label conglomerate since 2020—absorbing BigHit Music, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, and ADOR—illustrates its shift toward centralized management. This system, according to Go, often masks reduced creative independence beneath claims of label diversity.
Min Hee-jin, on the other hand, championed creative freedom and branding autonomy, which she enacted through the success of NewJeans. The group’s unique aesthetic and sonic identity challenged mainstream K-pop formulas, offering a viable alternative grounded in authenticity and experimentation.
Go applies theories from sociology and business management to frame the dispute. She draws on Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical model—which distinguishes front-stage and backstage behavior—and the business dichotomy of Exploitation vs. Exploration.
Exploitation involves maximizing efficiency and returns from existing resources, whereas Exploration refers to venturing into untested territory. Go argues that while HYBE initially succeeded through bold exploration, its evolution into a corporate giant led it to favor more controlled, profit-driven systems. ADOR under Min, by contrast, prioritized exploratory innovation, ultimately giving rise to NewJeans as a distinctive artistic force.
“To remain sustainable, organizations must balance exploitation and exploration,” Go emphasizes. “Favoring only one leads to either stagnation or chaos.”
Min Hee-jin’s clash with HYBE, therefore, is not just personal—it represents a systemic fault line in the K-pop ecosystem. Go contends that the dispute offers a rare public window into the creative vs. corporate power struggle, particularly how gendered dynamics affect women producers in a male-dominated leadership landscape.
Industry Reflections and NewJeans’ Uncertain Path
Go also critiques the early framing of the incident as a mere “hostile takeover,” arguing that HYBE’s portrayal of ADOR executives attempting to seize control misses the larger question of “who gets to define content?”
Min’s assertive use of media—crafting her public image while exposing internal tensions—aligns with Goffman’s model of identity performance. Go suggests this media strategy reveals how female creative leaders must navigate not only corporate power but also public perception and image politics.
Ultimately, Go concludes that the Min-HYBE conflict is a high-stakes precedent for the future of K-pop. It demands serious structural analysis, safeguards for creative independence, and a shift in public perception toward valuing innovation over control.
However, the group has entered a hiatus amid contract tensions between ADOR and HYBE. On the third anniversary, ADOR marked the occasion by releasing a celebratory animation on social media—a subdued yet symbolic gesture as the group’s future remains uncertain.
Nate
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