Maxim Korea Draws Flak For Releasing Photoshoot Inspired By Min Hee Jin Press Conference

Maxim Korea is drawing flak for featuring a photoshoot inspired by Min Hee Jin's press conference.

On May 29, 2024, a post titled "Maxim releases Min Hee Jin's press conference cosplay photoshoot" was posted to Instiz, a popular South Korean online community forum. In the post, the original poster shared a photo from the photoshoot.

The model is seen wearing a brown and white striped sweater with buttons in the middle. Her hair is styled in a messy photoshoot with strands on the side to frame her face. She is wearing a blue cap.

In the photo, she is seen sitting behind a desk, holding a microphone, with another hand out as if she was speaking. Behind her is a screenshot of a message conversation.

The photo is highly reminiscent of how Min Hee Jin looked for her emergency press conference on April 25. For the press conference, Min Hee Jin was seen wearing a green and white striped top, with her hair in a messy ponytail with strands framing the side of her face. She was also seen wearing a blue cap.

During her press conference, Min Hee Jin revealed messages she shared with HYBE Labels' founder Bang Si Hyuk. This is likely what Maxim Korea used to reference for their photo shoot.

Many slammed the publication for cosplaying Min Hee Jin's emotional press conference for their photoshoot. Maxim Korea is known to be a suggestive and provocative adult publication, featuring scantily clad women in both their magazines and online work. One look at their Instagram account and you can see that they focus on selling women's bodies for the men's gaze.

Min Hee Jin is already a controversial figure among "Hannam," a term used to describe misogynistic Korean men. Many have grown to hate her since she is considered one of the most successful K-pop CEOs and one of K-pop's most creative minds despite the industry being male-dominated.

With this in mind, Maxim Korea's photoshoot placed a sour taste in people's mouths, with people hating that her vulnerable moments were cosplayed in a way that befits what men want to see.

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Some comments read,

• "What the hell is this?!"
• "They didn't even both to match the color of her shirt. How absurd."
• "This is laughable."
• "Are they f*cking insane? Isn't Maxim an adult magazine?"
• "Maxim?! Ugh, this pisses me off."
• "They aren't in the right mings."
• "The sexual commercialization of this is insane."
• "Huh? Isn't this crossing the line?"
• "It just goes to show that women who work hard in Korea will be reduced to this in the end."

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

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Written by Alexa Lopez