NewJeans Expresses Strong Support for Min Hee-jin During Award Speech: Acknowledges Her as CEO, Not “Former CEO”

At the 2024 The Fact Music Awards held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on September 8th, NewJeans was recognized as the “Worldwide Icon.” This prestigious award is given to an artist or group with significant global influence among the winners of the “Artist of the Year (Bonsang)” category.

Before being honored with the “Worldwide Icon” award, NewJeans also achieved the “World Best Performer” title for their outstanding stage performance, the “Artist of the Year” based on album sales, chart rankings, and judge scores, and the “Musinsa Popularity Award,” determined by fan votes.

Following the reception of the Musinsa Popularity Award, member Danielle expressed her gratitude by stating, “I am honored to receive such a cool award as the Popularity Award” and extended her appreciation to CEO Min Hee-jin, saying, “I really love and thank him who always cherishes and protects us.”

Additionally, after receiving the Worldwide Icon Award, member Hyein took the microphone once more just before leaving, affirming, “I don’t think I can say this anymore, so I want to say it again,” and added, “Thank you so much, CEO. I love you so much, CEO.”

Through their speeches, NewJeans conveyed their heartfelt appreciation for Min Hee-jin, who was recently dismissed from her position. Notably, the group chose to refer to her as “CEO Min Hee-jin” instead of “former CEO,” which was perceived as a show of support for her within the industry.

For their dedicated Japanese fans, NewJeans performed the Japanese version of “Bubble Gum” and heightened the energetic atmosphere with their dynamic stage presence during “How Sweet,” which garnered an enthusiastic response. This marked the first full group performance of “How Sweet” on live broadcast, airing on Japan’s TBS.

Meanwhile, in recent developments, HYBE appointed Kim Joo-young as the new CEO of ADOR, following the dismissal of Min Hee-jin.

Source: Daum