NewJeans' eldest member, Minji is drawing flak for supposedly ignoring TXT at a recent event appearance.
During the SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer 2024 that took place on July 21, TXT was seen bowing to Minji, and the latter's reaction garnered significant attention. The NewJeans member appeared to ignore her senior labelmates, which was captured on camera and quickly spread on social media, sparking a fierce debate among K-pop fans.
Some people believe that Minji's actions were unintentional, as she was focused on something else and didn't notice TXT bowing and greeting her. Many claimed that Minji was focused on rapper Lee Youngji, who was standing in front of TXT. They also added that, as an idol, Minji is aware what people would think of her if she was caught ignoring her seniors, which means it was likely done unintentionally.
However, there were also accusations that she intentionally ignored the boy group.
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Some comments read,
- "Lee Youngji was standing in front of TXT and Minji was interacting with her, and then Hanni handed her a slogan, which she took. If you watch the high-quality video, you can see her saying something to Hanni."
- "She was clearly looking away and didn’t see TXT. What's the problem here If you want to create controversy, go somewhere else."
- "Ignoring a greeting means you don't like or want to ignore the other person, but does Minji have any reason to do such a thing? While the camera is still rolling? Aren't people tired of making up these baseless accusations? Seriously."
- "How is she being accused of ignoring TXT? It seemed like she wasn't paying attention at all."
However, this is not the only artist NewJeans was accused of ignoring during the event.
A video from the same event showing NewJeans encountering ILLIT went viral online. Since ILLIT debuted at the end of March this year, this was the first time the group appeared in the same event as NewJeans. The awkward atmosphere sparked massive controversy, with many netizens pointing out that ILLIT bowed to NewJeans, but the latter appeared to ignore their juniors.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: NewJeans Accused of Ignoring ILLIT During SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer 2024
NewJeans was criticized for being rude and arrogant towards ILLIT. Some fans defended them, claiming that NewJeans might have not noticed their juniors. However, some believe NewJeans was intentionally showing that they dislike ILLIT, since the latter was accused of copying the ADOR girl group's conecept. Additionally, some are using this situation to theorize about the relationship between ILLIT and NewJeans.
TXT, ILLIT, and NewJeans are all managed by HYBE. The tension between ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and HYBE has led many to speculate about the current relationship between the idols under this management. Previously, TXT was also drawn into controversy when their products released in 2020 and 2021 were compared to NewJeans' Phoning app and the music video for "Ditto."
What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!
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Written by Alexa Lopez
