In a recent statement, ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin accused HYBE of perpetuating unethical practices and lacking transparency, leading to continuous harm to NewJeans. Min highlighted the problem of “kick album sales,” where HYBE allegedly manipulates album releases to deceive stakeholders and inflate sales numbers.
According to Min, HYBE urged NewJeans to release an additional 100,000 copies of their album ‘Get Up’ to surpass Aespa’s first-week sales record. However, Min refused, stating it contradicted ADOR’s business philosophy. She emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of NewJeans’ achievements, expressing concern that inflated sales would tarnish their records and impact future business opportunities.
Min warned that if the issue of inflated album sales becomes more widely recognized, even NewJeans, who rejected this tactic, might be falsely perceived as complicit. She also criticized HYBE’s broader ethical standards, noting that pressuring high-selling groups like NewJeans to outdo other groups reflects a systemic problem in the label.
She called for a thorough investigation into potential conditional transactions with subsidiaries that could be considered album sales inflation and urged strict and transparent handling of such issues.
HYBE has denied Min Hee-jin’s claims, maintaining its stance against the allegations.
