Min Hee-jin | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Seoul, South Korea | December 16, 1979
Other names | MHJ |
Education | Seoul Women's University |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2002–present |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 민희진 |
Hanja | 閔熙珍 |
Revised Romanization | Min Huijin |
McCune–Reischauer | Min Hŭichin |
Min Hee-jin (Korean : 민희진; born December 16, 1979) is a South Korean music producer, [2] art director, and graphic designer. She is the former CEO of ADOR, a subsidiary of entertainment company Hybe Corporation, and the former executive producer of K-pop girl group NewJeans. She was formerly a creative director at SM Entertainment, where she was responsible for the branding of groups such as Girls' Generation, Shinee, f(x), Exo, and Red Velvet.
Min was born on December 16, 1979 in Seoul, South Korea. She attended Seoul Women's University, where she received a degree in visual design. [3]
Min joined SM Entertainment in 2002 as a graphic designer. She was later promoted to creative director and led the visual branding of groups such as Girls' Generation, Shinee, f(x), Exo and Red Velvet. [4] Her role involved overseeing the planning and production of album artwork, costumes and music videos, as well as building the artist's brand identity through non-visual means. For instance, she created an exhibition to commemorate the release of f(x)'s 4 Walls album (2015), and engaged fans in a deductive game titled "Pathcode" as part of promotions for Exo's 2015 album Exodus . [5] During her tenure at SM, she received attention for her innovative, experimental approach to art direction, which differed from the formulaic style used by first-generation K-pop idols. [6] Min is credited with shifting the visual direction of the K-pop industry to become more concept-driven, [7] [8] and is particularly noted for her work on f(x)'s 2013 album Pink Tape . [9] She joined SM's board of directors in 2017, [4] but left the company at the end of 2018 due to burnout. [3] [10]
Min joined Hybe Corporation in 2019 as chief brand officer and oversaw the company's rebranding, [4] including the design of the new logo and the new work space in Yongsan. [11] [12] [13] She was appointed CEO of Hybe's new subsidiary ADOR (All Doors One Room) in November 2021. Min shared in a statement, "Our label won't hesitate to accept new challenges and strive to create artist IP and content containing ADOR's unique philosophy." [14] The label unveiled its first girl group NewJeans in July 2022, [15] with Min leading their creative direction and development. [14] They released their debut self-titled extended play on August 1. [15] In 2023, Min was awarded the Seoul City Culture Award by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for her work with NewJeans. [16]
On August 27, 2024, Min was dismissed as the CEO of ADOR, following a protracted conflict with Hybe's top executives regarding NewJeans control and activities. She retained her position in the company's board of directors and as a producer of the group. Min has opposed the decision, stating that the dismissal is a "grave violation of the shareholders' agreement". [17] On November 20, 2024, Min resigned from her director position at Ador. [18]
Min has been accused by online users of drawing inspirations for the groups she manages from sexually charged media that involve minors. Min was seen sharing pictures of her apartment on Instagram which showcased images that refer to the 1974 film I'll Take Her Like a Father , among others. Min has also been accused of allowing revealing clothes that mimic those of school girls for f(x) and sexual innuendos on the lyrics of the track "Cookie" for NewJeans. In response, ADOR announced they have taken legal action against the allegations. [19] [20] [21] [22]
On April 22, 2024, Hybe Corporation started an internal audit on Min and her executives for allegedly attempting to seize full control of ADOR, and publicly called for Min's resignation as the CEO. [23] [24] In response, Min issued a public statement rebutting the allegation, claiming that it would have been impossible for her to seize control of ADOR since Hybe owns 80% of the shares. [25] Min claimed that she was asked to resign because of her complaints towards the creative similarities in artistic direction between NewJeans and Illit, a girl group that had debuted under Hybe's subsidiary label Belift Lab. Min blamed Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk, who oversaw the production of Illit's debut, for failing to address the creative similarities between the two groups. [26] Following the dispute, Hybe Corporation's share value fell by 12.17%. [27]
Hybe subsequently released the findings of their investigations to support the claims made against Min, including messages exchanged on KakaoTalk between Min and ADOR's vice president, where the latter listed methods to take control of NewJeans' activities. [28] [29] Hybe also filed a complaint to authorities against Min for breach of trust. [30] Min addressed the allegations on April 25, 2024, at an emergency press conference, accompanied by her two lawyers. She stated that there was no concrete plan to leave Hybe, and that tensions with Hybe executives started when Le Sserafim's debut was prioritized over NewJeans'. [31] Following the press conference, Korean public opinion reportedly sided in Min's favor, viewing her as a creator uninterested in politics that couldn't get her concerns and efforts to be recognized by Hybe. Others criticized Min for explicitly mentioning other groups' names and perceived her copycat accusations as groundless. [32]
On May 7, Min filed an injunction against Hybe to prevent the company from exercising its voting rights at the next shareholders' meeting, where she expected to be removed as CEO of ADOR. [33] [34] On May 17, the hearing for Min's injuction began, and the members of NewJeans filed a petition with the Seoul Central District Court to prevent Min's dismissal from ADOR. [35] [36] That same day, Min's alleged KakaoTalk chats were leaked, showing Min making disparaging remarks about NewJeans, as well as their fans, with a colleague. [37] [38] On May 19, NewJeans' parents submitted their own petition to the court in Min's favor, [39] while several executives of Hybe, Pledis Entertainment, and Source Music, including producers and creative directors of BTS, Le Sserafim, and Tomorrow X Together reportedly submitted petitions in support of Hybe. [40] On May 22, Belift filed a complaint to authorities against Min for defamation regarding her accusations of plagiarism. [41]
On May 30, the court upheld the injunction filed by Min, disallowing Hybe from exercising its voting rights to dismiss her as CEO, [42] stating that there was no actual implementation stage to gain full control of ADOR. [43] During the next shareholders' meeting, two executives of ADOR close to Min were dismissed from their functions and replaced by Hybe's board members. [44]
On August 27, Min was dismissed as the CEO of ADOR by the current board members. Hybe stated that "the separation of production and management has been a consistent principle of (Hybe's) multi-label system". Min disagreed, stating that it was a "grave violation of the shareholders' agreement". [45] Two weeks after the dismissal, the members of NewJeans made a public demand for HYBE to reinstate Min as the CEO of ADOR by September 25, in a live stream held on YouTube. [46] Following the public demand, Hybe Corporation's share value fell by nearly 3%. [47] Despite the conflict, Min vowed to move forward with NewJeans' future plans in an interview with TV Asahi, stating that she "[has] a plan to overcome these challenges". [48] On October 29, Min's injunction to be reinstated as CEO of ADOR was rejected by the Seoul Central District Court. [49]
On November 26, Min filed a criminal complaint against Hybe's CCO Park Tae-hee and a PR director identified as Cho. Her representatives claimed in a statement that Park and Cho "not only failed to fulfil their obligations but caused significant damage to NewJeans and ADOR by downplaying the group's achievements", while adding that they hope "appropriate criminal penalties are imposed". [50] [51] On December 2, Korean tabloid outlet Dispatch published an article which argued that Min had been manipulating NewJeans' members against Hybe. In response Min filed a defamation case against two Dispatch reporters and two Hybe top executives, claiming that her private conversations had been used illegally in the article. [52] [53] [54]
On August 8, 2024, a former female employee of ADOR accused Min of covering up her complaint of alleged sexual harassment where she was subjected to "daily harassment" and sexist comments by a male superior in the company, such as "eating with young women is better than just eating with men", to coerce her to attend a dinner meeting with alcohol involved. An investigation by Hybe concluded that the incidents did not constitute workplace or sexual harassment, however Min allegedly berated the female staff member with expletives for making the complaint and sided with the superior rather than the former employee, who resigned on March 21, 2024. This incident was first reported by Dispatch back in July 2024 and Min reportedly denied the allegations prior to the alleged victim speaking up and demanding Min to apologize to her. [55]
In response, on August 13, Min released a lengthy media statement; she called the allegations "a baseless attempt to push for [Min's] dismissal", claiming that the former employee was not harassed by the company but rather the company had to deal with the employee's alleged ineptitude despite her salary level that was equivalent to an executive, and that the former employee had resigned due to her salary being cut. On that same day when Min released her statement, the former employee reiterated her claims once again. [56] [57] The former employee refuted the claims made by Min, stating that nearly all of her former co-workers from ADOR evaluated her as "highly recommended" or "recommended" despite Min's assertion of her inept work performance, and stated that the male superior had earlier made an apology pertaining to the case in private messages to Min, and she added that Hybe agreed to re-investigate her case, for which she submitted the necessary documents for the matter. The former female employee also expressed her intention to bring Min to court for her alleged misconduct. [58]
Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee/work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Disc Awards | 2024 | Producer Award | Min Hee-jin | Won | [59] |
Korea Content Awards | 2023 | Presidential Commendation | Won | [60] | |
MAMA Awards | 2016 | Best Visual & Art Director | Won | [61] | |
2022 | Breakout Producer | Won | [62] |
Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Billboard | 2023 | International Power Players | Placed | [63] |
Women in Music – Multisector | Placed | [64] |
Hybe Co., Ltd. is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. It has multiple subsidiaries, including Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, and ADOR, collectively known as Hybe Labels.
Melon is a South Korean online music store and music streaming service introduced in November 2004, and developed by SK Telecom. LOEN Entertainment became the company-in-charge of the service in 2009. In 2017, Kakao merged Kakao Music into Melon to have one, unified music streaming service.
NewJeans is a South Korean girl group formed by ADOR, a sub-label of Hybe. The group is composed of five members: Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein. Mainly produced by Min Hee-jin, they are known for their 'girl next door' image and musical stylings reminiscent of the 1990s and 2000s.
New Jeans is the debut extended play (EP) by the South Korean girl group NewJeans. It was released on August 1, 2022, by ADOR, a subsidiary of Hybe Corporation. Produced by Min Hee-jin, 250, and Park Jin-su, the EP draws from synth-pop and R&B and infuses elements of musical styles from the 1990s and 2000s decades. The songs "Attention", "Hype Boy", and "Cookie" were released as singles.
"Attention" is the debut single by the South Korean girl group NewJeans. The music video for the song was surprise-released on July 22, 2022, and the track was released for download and streaming as part of their self-titled debut EP in August 2022. Written and composed by 250, Duckbay, Gigi, and the group member Danielle, "Attention" is a pop and R&B track with elements of late-1990s and early-2000s music such as house music on a new jack swing beat, and it incorporates dynamic key changes between the major and minor chords. Its lyrics are about the sensations of young infatuation.
"Hype Boy" is a song by the South Korean girl group NewJeans, taken from their debut extended play (EP), New Jeans (2022). ADOR, an independent division of Hybe Corporation, released four music videos for the song on July 23, 2022, each focusing on the members and their narratives. "Hype Boy" was officially released for download and streaming as the second single of the EP on August 1, 2022.
"Cookie" is a song by South Korean girl group NewJeans. It was released as the third single from their debut self-titled extended play by ADOR on August 1, 2022.
Lee Hye-in, known mononymously as Hyein, is a South Korean singer and former child model. She began her musical career at nine years old as a member of the South Korean children's groups U.sso Girl and Play with Me Club. She later debuted as a member of South Korean girl group NewJeans, formed by ADOR in July 2022.
Phạm Ngọc Hân, known professionally as Hanni (Korean: 하니), is an Australian singer based in South Korea. In July 2022, she made her debut as a member of the South Korean girl group NewJeans, under the record label ADOR.
Danielle June Marsh, known mononymously as Danielle (Korean: 다니엘), is an Australian and South Korean singer. She began her career in the entertainment industry by making several appearances on television as a child, before debuting as a member of South Korean girl group NewJeans in 2022. The following year, Marsh ventured into acting, voicing Ariel in the Korean dub of live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid (1989).
Kang Hae-rin, known mononymously as Haerin, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group NewJeans, which debuted on July 22, 2022, under the record label ADOR.
OMG is the first single album by South Korean girl group NewJeans. It was released on January 2, 2023, by ADOR. It contains the lead single of the same name and "Ditto", which was released prior to the single album on December 19, 2022.
"OMG" is a song by the South Korean idol girl group NewJeans from their single album of the same name (2023). ADOR, a division of Hybe Corporation, released "OMG" for download and streaming on January 2, 2023. Park Jin-su produced the track and composed it with Ylva Dimberg and David Dawood. The lyrics, written by Dimberg, Gigi, and NewJeans member Hanni, were inspired by high school dramas and explore themes of young love, dedication, and one-sided affection. It blends R&B, hip hop, and pop, featuring hip-hop percussion, trap rhythms, and a UK garage-inflected groove. The song includes plucked staccato synth chords, skittering cowbells, and layered vocal harmonies and percussion.
"Ditto" is a song by the South Korean girl group NewJeans, released on December 19, 2022, by ADOR, a label of Hybe Corporation. The producer 250 composed "Ditto" with Ylva Dimberg, who wrote the lyrics with The Black Skirts, Oohyo, and NewJeans member Minji. With a sound rooted in Baltimore club, the track incorporates a balladic electronic and dance production with influences of house, breakbeat, and UK garage. The lyrics are about reminiscing a platonic love.
"Super Shy" is a song by the South Korean girl group NewJeans, featured as the first of three singles from their second extended play, Get Up (2023). ADOR, a division of Hybe Corporation, released the song for download and streaming on July 7, 2023, alongside the prologue song "New Jeans." Later, "Super Shy" was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States through Interscope Records on August 15, 2023. It is a mix of liquid drum and bass, bubblegum, and Jersey club, featuring a staccato kick drum pattern. Written by Gigi, Kim Dong-hyun, Erika de Casier, Kristine Bogan, Frankie Scoca, and NewJeans member Danielle, it is about a shy person who expresses their feelings to a crush.
"New Jeans" is a song by South Korean girl group NewJeans, taken from their second extended play (EP), Get Up (2023). ADOR, an independent division of Hybe, released the track for digital download and streaming as a B-side to the single "Super Shy" on July 7, 2023.
Kim Min-ji, known mononymously as Minji, is a South Korean singer. Minji made her debut as a member of the South Korean girl group NewJeans, under the record label ADOR on July 22, 2022.
"How Sweet" is a song by the South Korean girl group NewJeans from their second single album of the same name. It was released by ADOR on May 24, 2024, along with the B-side track "Bubble Gum". NewJeans began promoting the single in April 2024, through the release of the music video for "Bubble Gum" on YouTube, featuring the Japanese version of the track in advertisements and television programs in Japan, and appearing on music shows and variety shows in South Korea. The single album debuted at number one in South Korea. It has been described as a Miami bass song with electroclash production.