Min Hee Jin Draws Backlash For Her ‘Gross’ Comments About NewJeans Minji: ‘She Was So Young And…’

Min Hee Jin is drawing flak for "disturbing" comments about NewJeans member Minji during her press conference.

HYBE and Min Hee Jin are currently embroiled in a public conflict, with HYBE alleging that Min Hee Jin plotted to acquire 100% of the management rights of ADOR, which currently houses NewJeans. Min Hee Jin has strongly refuted these accusations, leading to a large internal feud and public spectacle.

Now, Min Hee Jin is drawing flak for what she said about NewJeans member Minji during her press conference. Keep on reading for all the details.

Min Hee Jin Reveals Why She Chose Minji as a Member of NewJeans

Min Hee Jin, the CEO of ADOR, who was previously accused of attempting to seize complete control over ADOR and break away from HYBE, has addressed the allegations made against her.

Min Hee Jin held an emergency press conference at 3 PM at the Korea Conference Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Since then, videos and photos of the press conference have started circulating online. Among the many videos, one caught the attention of Bunnies (NewJeans fans) online.

When talking about the Source Music trainees she wanted for a group, she claimed that all the remaining trainees were either not skilled, too old, or did not match her aesthetic. The only one who fit her standards was Minji,

She claimed that she chose Minji because she was so young and, according to Min Hee Jin, was exceptionally prettier. In fact, she claimed Minji was even prettier then than she is now. For reference, Minji would have been around 15 years old at the time.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: HYBE To Accuse Min Hee Jin For Breach Of Trust + Shares Report Regarding Audit On ADOR Looking at Minji, Min Hee Jin thought that Minji could improve her skills in the future if she practiced more. She saw potential in Minji and thought she should do something with her, along with the idea of debuting a new girl group.

Min Hee Jin Draws Flak For Comments About NewJeans Minji

Her statement immediately drew backlash among Bunnies and K-pop fans in general on X (formerly Twitter). First, people criticized the fact that she mentioned age. It was noted that the oldest possible trainee would have still been in their early 20s, which is considered relatively young. People also believed this was a jab against Sakura, who would have been 20 or 21 at the time.

CHECK THIS OUT: NewJeans' Hyein Supposed Shade Against ILLIT Debunked - Here's What It Actually Means Others were also creeped out by how Min Hee Jin emphasized Minji's age and her beauty at the time. Previously, Min Hee Jin has been accused of infantalizing and sexualizing minors in her work with SM Entertainment. For example, during SHINee's "Sherlock" teasers, Min Hee Jin had the members shirtless and posing with child-like objects, such as toys and milk bottles.

She was also accused of referencing "Lolita," a book about child sexualization, in Red Velvet's "Russian Roulette." On top of that, Min Hee Jin has shared photos from the film "le farò da padre" on her Instagram. In the film, a middle-aged man kidnaps a minor girl, only for them to fall in love with each other and engage in inappropriate acts.

With her track record, many are claiming that Min Hee Jin commenting on Minji in that way is concerning. They claimed she was too fixated on Minji's age and beauty rather than her talent. Others believe she is obsessed with young girls, which is highly concerning due to how young the members of NewJeans are.

What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!

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Written by Alexa Lopez