Ado Min Hee-jin CEO - Family Feud with HYBE
Min Compared to Fu Bao Trainer Kang Cheol-won
"Trainer Kang Took Fu Bao to Hadong"
Netizens Debate "Different Story" vs "Sympathy"
Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR under HYBE Entertainment, which manages the girl group NewJeans, has actively clarified allegations of HYBE's takeover of management rights. Meanwhile, a debate has erupted on social media over a post comparing CEO Min to Kang Cheol-won, the dedicated caretaker of the giant panda Fu Bao.
Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR who debuted NewJeans, and Kang Cheol-won, the zookeeper who raised Poobah. [Photo by Kang Jin-hyung, Asia Economy; provided by Everland]
On the 24th, various social media platforms and online communities saw a popular post explaining the family feud between ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and HYBE Entertainment by drawing a parallel to the situation of Fu Bao, the first giant panda born through natural breeding in South Korea. As of the 26th, the post had garnered over 1,000 views, becoming a hot topic. Kang, the caretaker, has diligently cared for Fu Bao's parents, Le Bao and Ai Bao, and showed special affection by staying by Fu Bao’s side from birth until returning to China. This was interpreted as an analogy to CEO Min’s mention of NewJeans members in her statement.
The original author, Mr. A, stated, "CEO Min’s claim is akin to 'Kang Bao' (caretaker Kang Cheol-won’s nickname) saying, 'I raised Fu Bao well, so the money earned from Fu Bao belongs to me. I will take Fu Bao to Hadong, Gyeongnam (where bamboo, the panda’s staple food, is supplied) and establish Panda World. This couple also had the consent of Fu Bao’s father Le Bao and mother Ai Bao. Moreover, Lemon and Resi’s popularity is thanks to me, and Seoul Grand Park’s acquisition of red pandas is also due to my efforts.'" He criticized the management rights conflict between CEO Min and HYBE as being similar to Kang Cheol-won trying to take Fu Bao out of Everland.
Netizens who saw the post mostly responded negatively. Netizen B said, "Fu Bao and NewJeans are different cases," adding, "Both parties want the best for Fu Bao and NewJeans, but since Everland did not conduct a raid or issue an eviction order just because they disliked Kang, the situations are ultimately different." Other netizens expressed support for CEO Min, saying, "She truly cares for NewJeans," "I agree with the claim that she 'gave birth' to them. She must have endured a lot of pressure," and "She said she’s not interested in management rights. She was just someone who cared about NewJeans," criticizing HYBE.
On the other hand, some netizens commented, "The situation makes sense when compared to the caretaker Kang," "CEO Min said I-LIT copied NewJeans, but that sounds unconvincing," "What’s different from the Fifty Fifty incident?" and "The analogy with Le Bao, Ai Bao, Resi, and Lemon is perfect."
Meanwhile, on the 22nd, HYBE began an internal audit of ADOR. HYBE claimed, "We have identified that either CEO Min or one of ADOR’s executives attempted an independent move to seize management rights from headquarters," and retrieved company IT assets from ADOR’s executive offices. Furthermore, on the 25th, HYBE announced interim audit results, stating they secured materials suggesting a plan to seize management rights and declared they would take legal action against CEO Min on charges including 'breach of trust.'
In response, CEO Min held a press conference on the 25th, strongly denying the allegations of management rights seizure raised by HYBE. During the event, she expressed her grievances with over two hours of various expletives. The press conference was broadcast live on YouTube and most online platforms, with at least hundreds of thousands of viewers. CEO Min said, "The entire situation feels like a farcical drama," listing the process of recruiting NewJeans members and preparing for their debut, refuting rumors and suspicions one by one. Regarding the evidence HYBE presented as proof of her attempt to seize management rights, she drew a line, saying, "They are packaging trivial matters as serious accusations to slander me."
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