NJZ (NewJeans) Exposed As The Reason Behind Min Hee Jin’s New Boy Group

After the announcement of Min Hee Jin’s controversial plans to debut a new boy group, the former ADOR CEO has revealed how NJZ (NewJeans) influenced the decision.

On December 19, Min Hee Jin appeared on YTN Radio’s Kim Jun Woo’s News Showdown to talk about her ongoing legal disputes with HYBE, their alleged smear campaign against her, accusations regarding her ex-boyfriend, and more.

Among the hot topics discussed, Min Hee Jin was also asked about her plans for OOAK, the new entertainment label she founded this year.

The launch of OOAK made headlines in October, just one week before NewJeans lost their lengthy contract battle with ADOR. Later, in November, open auditions were announced to recruit OOAK trainees of any nationality or gender.

The news sparked mixed reactions online, with some netizens eagerly anticipating her next creation while others accused her of “throwing away” NewJeans at a particularly difficult time for the group.

In an interview with YouTube channel Genre Yeouido that month, Min revealed that she intends to develop a male idol group first, with no immediate plans to launch a girl group.

Now, she’s clarified her reasoning. When Kim Jun Woo mentioned that he’d heard about the CEO’s plans, Min Hee Jin gave a clear statement: “There’s no reason for me to create a rival to NewJeans.”

Of course, there’s no reason for me to create a rival to NewJeans. And looking at my usual style, it’s the boy group’s turn. Thankfully, I’ve suddenly been flooded with applicants through my DMs.

— Min Hee Jin

She went on to explain that boy groups are her “usual style,” but also divulged potential plans to work on entertainment projects outside of the idol industry with OOAK.

Besides a boy group, there are also people proposing new projects that aren’t idol-related, so I’m reviewing a lot of things. What I want is to build a fun company.

— Min Hee Jin

While some fans initially speculated that OOAK could be a new home for NewJeans, all five members have since expressed their intent to return to ADOR. However, the label has yes to confirm future plans for the group.