Min Hee-jin's passionate speech worked... Meme, outfits, and emoticons all spark the 'Gaejeossi Syndrome'

Rising in Reverse, Reaches No.1 in KakaoTalk Emoticon Sales
30s Office Worker Says "It Feels Like My Workplace Self" Resonates

Min Hee-jin, CEO of Adore, a label under HYBE and the agency of girl group NewJeans, made headlines among netizens for her harsh remarks directed at HYBE during a press conference. Alongside this, the hat and T-shirt she wore, as well as the KakaoTalk emoticon she used in conversations, have gained popularity. On the 2nd, Kakao, the operator of KakaoTalk, announced that the emoticon "Small Gray Cat" used by Min Hee-jin ranked first in popularity as of 3 PM that day.

KakaoTalk emoticons revealed during Min Hee-jin's press conference. [Photo source=Online community]

By age group, the emoticon ranked 4th among teenagers, 2nd among people in their 20s, 1st among those in their 30s, and 5th among people in their 40s. This emoticon was revealed during Min Hee-jin's press conference on the 25th of last month. At that time, Min Hee-jin disclosed KakaoTalk messages exchanged with HYBE officials, during which the emoticon appeared, subsequently gaining popularity among netizens. Netizens responded with comments such as "It seems like all office workers bought it," "I bought it too," "I should buy it as well," "Someone gifted it to me," and "It's an emoticon that can be used in many situations."

Office Workers: "CEO Min's Remarks Perfectly Capture the Sorrows of Office Life"

Not only the emoticon but also Min Hee-jin's press conference gained popularity among office workers as a so-called 'refreshing' speech, leading to the fashion items she wore becoming popular online. Right after the press conference, the T-shirt and hat Min wore sold out. Especially among office workers in their 30s, Min's press conference continues to be widely discussed, to the extent it is called the "Min Hee-jin Syndrome."

The reason for the popularity of Min's press conference seems to be that she boldly made direct remarks calling Bang Si-hyuk, HYBE's chairman, and Park Ji-won, CEO, "gaejeossi" (a portmanteau of "dog" and "ajusshi," meaning "dog-like middle-aged man"), which resonated with office workers in their 30s. Although the internal conflict between HYBE and Min is likely to escalate into a legal battle, Min's appeal about how difficult it is to work among "gaejeossis" struck an emotional chord with her peers and office workers.

Not only emoticons but also CEO Min Hee-jin's press conference has gained popularity among office workers for her so-called 'refreshing' remarks, and the fashion items she wore have also become popular as 'memes.'
[Photo by online community 'Ruliweb']

In particular, during the press conference, Min said things along the lines of "I only have the guilt of working hard," "I worked like a dog," and "I am the one who was betrayed," which deeply resonated with office workers. Furthermore, her way of addressing Chairman Bang Si-hyuk started with "Si-hyuk-nim" but gradually escalated in criticism, eventually degrading him and others to "gaejeossis" and even "deungsindeul" (fools).

Right after declaring a full-on confrontation at the press conference, netizens expressed sympathy with comments such as "As someone working in an office, I sometimes frowned when seeing executives drinking and playing golf, but it feels refreshing that she spoke my mind," "I agree with her refreshing remarks against the 'gaejeossis' scattered around the workplace," "It feels so relieving," and "It's amazing how she cursed at the CEO of a giant corporation and vented her frustration while crying."