Allegations of Controversy Surrounding HYBE and Their Use of the Term Min Sso Gong

As a result, Big Hit Music, a subsidiary of HYBE and the agency for BTS, took legal action when the term “Min Sso Gong”, which translates to “A Small Ball Shot by Min Hee-jin”, emerged.

After CEO Min’s press conference, which revealed information about HYBE, several doubts and theories started to surface on the internet. One of CEO Min’s responses to HYBE’s statement, stating that she had received management guidance from a spiritual leader, sparked speculation about the potential connection between a meditation group, which some consider to be a cult, and HYBE.

Initially, there was a surge of posts on online communities alleging that the music video for NewJeans’ song “OMG”(released under ADOR) contained a hidden message targeting a meditation group. Additionally, following a press conference, CEO Min gave an exclusive interview to CBS, a Christian broadcasting outlet. This interview, along with the disbandment of GFriend (managed by Source Music), and rumors of a connection between the meditation group and deities, only added to the speculation.

The majority of BTS members were students at the school affiliated with this meditation group, where they also held their debut showcase at the group’s performance venue, signed autographs at the group’s brain education center, and endorsed the group’s cosmetic brand. There were allegations that BTS may have indirectly or directly advertised the meditation center.

Furthermore, speculations emerged about the potential ties between TXT and the meditation center, both of which are affiliated with Big Hit Music. It has been noted that several members of TXT are enrolled in the school run by the meditation group, and the title of their debut song “Crown”aligns with chapters found in the center’s literature.

Additionally, there were accusations that the debut song “Magnetic”by ILLIT implied a link to the meditation center, as it shared similarities with chapter titles found in the center’s literature. It should be noted that ILLIT is currently signed under Belift Lab, a subsidiary label of HYBE.

The meditation center, which promoted the benefits of gymnastics and meditation for improving health and preventing diseases, was deemed a heretical cult by the Orthodox Church in Korea because its training programs contained elements that resembled pseudo-religious practices.

Furthermore, the ongoing dispute surrounding BTS’s “quick and convenient marketing”from seven years ago resurfaced. As per reports in 2017, A faced prosecution eight times for blackmailing Big Hit executives and demanding 57 million won by claiming to possess evidence of illicit marketing schemes. A has been linked to fraudulent marketing activities involving Big Hit and BTS.

The Seoul Central Court justified the 1-year prison sentence given to A by stating, “A’s offense involved using confidential information from business partners to engage in unethical actions. However, we took into account the fact that the victims were also at fault for falling for deceptive marketing tactics, which presented the defendant with an opportunity to exploit them.”

The aforementioned ruling explicitly mentions the phrase “exploiting illegal marketing for blackmail.”This contradicts Big Hit’s 2017 statement that “A’s accusation was biased and the cited illegal marketing was simply a typical viral marketing tactic used online.”

Additionally, there were suspicions that HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk had plagiarized concepts. B, a former magazine editor-in-chief, recently posted CEO Min’s press conference video on their account, expressing their frustration by stating, “I also hold resentment towards Chairman Bang for consistently stealing my ideas. The album titles, concepts, and photoshoots were all reminiscent of my previous work, and even the words I used in the interview were replicated. Despite my innocent contributions, I received no acknowledgement from him.”

Big Hit Music responded to the allegations by declaring them to be untrue and revealing their plans to pursue legal measures against any violations of their rights. They stressed that the recent actions were intended to tarnish the reputation of BTS and were a form of harmful slander, spreading of false rumors, and excessive humiliation.

They reiterated their stance that they will not accept any wrongdoers, enforcing a strict zero-tolerance policy with no leniency or compromise, and will pursue rigorous legal action against them.