Fact Check: Did ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin Mention BLACKPINK As One Of HYBE’s Targets?

On April 25, ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin held a press conference to discuss her ongoing feud with HYBE.

During the press conference, she mentioned many topics but one of the most inflammatory was her exposing text messages between her and HYBE CEO Bang Si Hyuk where the latter allegedly said he wanted to “crush” aespa.

Some have also claimed that Min Hee Jin and Bang Si Hyuk discussed BLACKPINK in a similar way.

On X, posts circulating state Min Hee Jin discussed “competing” BLACKPINK with Bang Si Hyuk and provided translations and proof to support these claims. Each post has thousands of retweets and has sparked outrage, as seen with Bang Si Hyuk’s mentioning of aespa.

The posts include a photo of Min Hee Jin pointing to text messages on a screen, as well as a text blurb about HYBE paying for NewJeans to have brand deals to directly rival BLACKPINK.

CEO of Ador Hybe Min Hee jin has exposed hybe with confirmed proofs at her press conference saying that New Jeans Brands deals were paid by Hybe to copy and compete with #Blackpink.

She also said that Hybe tried to crush the career of Aespa and Ive. pic.twitter.com/9dxzv4iygt

— ᴄʜᴇʀʀʏ ʙʟɪɴᴋ (@DARKXSTAR99) April 25, 2024

NOT THE HYBE CEO PLOTTING AGAINST THE PINKS….

: keke enough for everyone to forget about beulping (blackpink)?
: Indeed
: we dont train our artists to sing as well but dancing is “jjajangmyeon” (playful word meaning easy but in a rude way) pic.twitter.com/HGvJxzOo27

— p*r (@jnktoowell) April 25, 2024

As this was how she exposed Bang Si Hyuk’s alleged messages about aespa, it is easy to believe that something similar could have happened with BLACKPINK.  But was this the case?

First, looking at the screenshot of Min Hee Jin’s text messages, you can see a conversation being had. However, this conversation does not mention BLACKPINK at all and is instead about another topic.

Min Hee Jin: But I’m not trying to be too stubborn.
Bang Si Hyuk: Please tell me whatever it is that you want.
Min Hee Jin: Please be flexible and adjust accordingly.
Bang Si Hyuk: Yes, I know you are that type of person. I am also the type to say something if it’s wrong. I’ll make sure no shame goes to how you are treated.
Min Hee Jin: I feel sorry for hearing such touching words.

The text blurb about brand deals does include a mention of BLACKPINK. However, Min Hee Jin did not say it. The paragraph is from an alleged HYBE employee who posted a review on BLIND (a job platform similar to Glassdoor) that contained many other points.

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a post saying all the right things. If you think about their position of copying an event, wouldn’t that mean BP (Blackpink) did it first? Did you receive consent from BLACKPINK regarding individual ambassador promotions? You stayed quiet when HYBE got you ambassador deals, but are speaking up when another label “copies” you.

— Alleged HYBE Employee’s BLIND post

So, despite how many twists and turns this feud has had, Min Hee Jin did not mention BLACKPINK during her press conference.