HYBE's girl group line, without NewJeans, shouted 'One Team'.
On the 22nd, HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk posted a photo on his social media showing the girl groups under HYBE gathered in one place. In the photo, members of Le Sserafim, ILY:1, and Cats Eye are seen taking a picture with Chairman Bang. It appears to be a photo taken right after the Le Sserafim concert held at Incheon Inspire Arena last weekend.
While there is nothing particularly different from group photos of artists from other agencies, attention was drawn to the comment left by Chairman Bang. He wrote 'United' and 'One Team', proudly indicating that the HYBE girl groups had finally gathered in one place.
Strictly speaking, it cannot be said that all HYBE girl groups were present. This is because NewJeans, which is under the subsidiary label Ador and has been in dispute with HYBE for a year, was not included. Of course, the members are dreaming of independent activities, defying both HYBE and Ador. Between Ador, which wants them to return, and the members who do not want to go back, Chairman Bang wrote just two words, 'One Team'.
In the current situation, Chairman Bang's perspective of 'One Team' may be correct, but it seems difficult to erase the sense of emptiness that the NewJeans members and their fandom, Bunnies, will feel upon seeing this.
Moreover, the day Chairman Bang posted this was exactly one year since April 22 of last year, when HYBE began an audit of the then Ador executives, including former CEO Min Hee-jin. HYBE made this decision after identifying circumstances that these individuals attempted to seize management rights. In response, former CEO Min held an emergency press conference after three days, claiming that "NewJeans was 'kicked out' by Five." He also expressed that there had been noise regarding the activities of the two groups, stating that "HYBE debuted Le Sserafim before NewJeans."
From that point on, NewJeans was officially out of HYBE's favor. They have spent a year apart from HYBE and have not been able to carry out any activities until recently. They have been prohibited by the court from using a new team name or engaging in new activities, leaving them in a state of limbo.
NewJeans had recorded significantly higher album sales than other HYBE girl groups like Le Sserafim and ILY:1, and they had made a tremendous contribution to the company's revenue rebound. Nevertheless, they were left alone without being able to grasp the hand of HYBE, or Chairman Bang.
In this situation, as if to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the HYBE incident, Chairman Bang shouted 'One Team' with HYBE artists centered around Le Sserafim at the concert venue. Coincidentally, Chairman Bang has been involved in the production of Le Sserafim's debut album and their recent releases. Next to Chairman Bang, it was still Le Sserafim, not NewJeans, standing there.
