Former SM Entertainment employee speaks up on behalf of Min Hee Jin in midst of her battle with HYBE

Former SM Entertainment employee David C. has spoken up on behalf of Min Hee Jin in the midst of her ongoing battle with HYBE.

A post by David C. on the business and employment-focused social media platform LinkedIn is getting notice as he commented on Min Hee Jin and her conflict with HYBE. David C. worked with SM Entertainment for over 4 years as an EVP of Creative Contents and Producing, Head of Producing, and A&R for over 4 years, and it seems he collaborated with Min Hee Jin at times. 

Though David C. described Min Hee Jin as a "challenging person to collaborate with," he continued to call her a "trendsetter" and revealed she inspired him to launch his own music-related startup. He's not the first industry professional to show support for the ADOR CEO as renowned choreographer Kasper and former YG Entertainment creative director Shin Sung Jin also reportedly had words of support for her.

Read David C.'s full post on LinkedIn below. 

"After viewing Min Hee-jin's press conference, I've jotted down my thoughts, experiences working with her at SM, and my feelings about this chaotic dispute between HYBE and Min Hee-Jin. I also wish to convey my convictions to HYBE officials.

During my time at SM, Min Hee-jin was reputed to be a challenging person to collaborate with. (Well, I was a difficult person to work with as well.) Yet, she has been an authentic, artist-minded creative director, pioneering the visual direction and unique concepts of numerous K-pop artists. Truly a trendsetter.

When launching SM Station (a digital music project that undertook to release one digital single along with a music video every Friday), I needed her confirmation regarding music video wardrobes. Her initial words to me were, 'This project will fail. Why are we even doing this?' Despite my strong sense of pride, it felt more like a harsh reality check than a blow to my ego. Exceptional production demands unwavering artistry and thoughtful consideration of the message to the public. However, with weekly releases, I found myself working tirelessly day and night to meet deadlines, forgetting the core essence and resorting to mechanical production. It dawned on me that I was merely working for validation. It made me reconsider what I was truly doing. Even years later, those words echoed, making me realize I was hesitating to pursue what I genuinely desired. Eventually, feeling compelled to pursue my dreams, I left SM and ventured into a music-related startup.

Min Hee-jin may come across as brash and unyielding, but without her vision and efforts, NewJeans wouldn't exist. It's not just about HYBE's resources; it's unimaginable without Min Hee-jin. It's a well-known fact among music industry insiders that Bang Si-hyuk embraced her because he highly valued Min Hee-jin's vision and talent.

I wish HYBE hadn't escalated the confrontation with Min Hee-jin to this extent. This dispute has already caused significant pain to many K-pop artists and fans. Family matters should be resolved within the family, and I hope this dispute doesn't escalate further. The actions damaging the genre of K-pop should stop here. I sincerely hope both sides find a way forward. A public apology regarding the hurt caused to various artists and fans, and minimizing the already occurred damage, seem like crucial tasks."

Thanks for reading ~