The Shadows of K-pop in 2024: Min Hee-jin’s Cultural Achievements and the Industry’s Flaws

The biggest story in South Korean popular culture in 2024 was the conflict between Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, and HYBE’s management team. It was a year when both artistic innovation within K-pop and structural flaws within the industry came to light. Min Hee-jin was an innovative director at SM Entertainment who handled visual branding for some of the most famous groups in K-pop history, including Girls’ Generation, EXO, SHINee, and Red Velvet. He designed concepts such as the skinny jeans theme for Girls’ Generation’s “Gee,” the school uniform concept for EXO’s “Growl,” and “Red Flavor” for Red Velvet, thereby establishing aesthetic standards for South Korea’s cultural industry. f(x)’s album “Pink Tape” was recognized as a masterpiece that gave new meaning to idol music, further proving his capabilities. After moving to Big Hit Entertainment (now HYBE) in 2019, Min Hee-jin founded his own label, ADOR, and introduced NewJeans in 2022. Every song from NewJeans, starting with their debut tracks “Attention” and “Hype Boy” through “Ditto,” “Super Shy,” “How Sweet,” and “Super Natural,” became a hit, and all five albums released since their debut reached million-sales status. They also set a record by entering Tokyo Dome in Japan just 1 year and 11 months after their debut, the fastest time for any K-pop group to do so. The American music magazine Paste selected “Ditto” as one of the “best songs of the 2020s,” and in 2024, this publication included “Super Natural” on its list of “best songs of 2024.” However, 2024 was also a year when dark realities emerged behind such success. During a 130-minute press conference held in April, Min Hee-jin exposed the existing problems within the industry outright. Chronic issues such as bait product practices, forced album sales targets, and excessive idol production were officially acknowledged through his statements. In particular, he accused ILLIT, an idol group under HYBE’s subsidiary Bellif Lab, of imitating NewJeans’ style, and when HYBE denied these claims, the matter escalated into a legal dispute. On August 27, Min Hee-jin was removed from his role as ADOR’s CEO. In September, NewJeans released a video on YouTube expressing concern over the new management structure and calling for Min Hee-jin’s return. On October 15, Hani, a member of NewJeans, testified before the National Assembly’s Labor Committee about workplace harassment, stating that a manager at a HYBE-affiliated music label had instructed other artists to ignore her. On November 28, NewJeans announced that they would terminate their contract with ADOR at midnight on November 29, asserting that no breach of contract had occurred and therefore no termination fee would be paid. Yet ADOR and HYBE continued to claim the contract remained valid until 2029, prolonging the legal battle. Legal proceedings between the two parties are still ongoing. Around the same time, HYBE became embroiled in another controversy. During an inspection by the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, the “Weekly Music Industry Report” was uncovered. This report, consisting of over 10,000 pages, contained harsh evaluations of many singers, including minor artists. It included negative assessments such as claiming BlackPINK’s success was largely due to a performance at Coachella, evaluations of Lisa’s performance at Paris’ Crazy Horse nightclub, and references to suspicions regarding her international awards. In addition, idols from various labels including RIIZE, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, NCT Dream, Stray Kids, BABYMONSTER, and aespa were criticized negatively for their appearance and performance skills. HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang eventually apologized but described it as “a reflection of public opinion.” Min Hee-jin’s actions raised questions about K-pop’s sense of crisis and its direction. NewJeans supported him because they trusted him as the person who shaped the group’s identity. After the April press conference, the members of NewJeans sent formal letters to Min Hee-jin, turning what was initially a simple management dispute into an issue that addressed structural problems within the idol industry and the creativity of artists. In 2024, K-pop showed the public the shadows behind its dazzling successes. Alongside NewJeans’ cultural innovations, issues such as bait products, plagiarism allegations, and long working hours came to light. The fact that Sisa Journal named Min Hee-jin “Person of the Year in Culture for 2024” recognized not only his cultural achievements but also the impact his calls for improvement in the K-pop ecosystem had on Korean society.