Min Heejin at Hyundai Card highlights

-It was very long so if I made a mistake on translating I'm sorry- I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for reaching out to me as if it were the first day. A special thanks to all the people at Apple for their group support. I really want to express my gratitude. Oh, but I shouldn't only mention Apple. All of our sponsors have been so supportive throughout this time. Personally, the term "sponsor" feels a bit impersonal, so it feels a bit odd to use it. But anyway, we've built really strong partnerships with most of our sponsors. During the recent interview with Chunichi Shimbun, the journalist asked me all sorts of questions. What I said at the time was something like... it all became trivialized, you know? Honestly after it ended, I was really hurt. I had spoken with such difficulty and it was a deeply painful story for me but it was all just brushed off, trivialized and I couldn’t accept that. So, after doing that on the first day and going home... I even did a radio show and while I did feel relieved, there was this lingering sadness. Even looking at memes and things I still felt that way. But when did my feelings start to change? Well, my acquaintances started sending me a bunch of stuff and someone sent me that someone had edited the first day to "Ditto". When I saw it even though I was really sad, I found myself laughing. After that, I thought 'Ah, I should just move on from this. There's no point in being sad over it anymore. Like I’m some sort of foul-mouthed person? Well, to be honest, I do swear, but I’m not the type to openly curse in front of others. It’s just my way of relieving stress—I can’t help it. Because I don’t drink or smoke at all. I’ve never smoked a cigarette and I don’t relieve stress through nightlife or partying. For me, stress goes away only when the source of it is gone; I don’t feel relief through actions that mask it. You could see after the press conference that I looked a little better. That’s because I said what I wanted to say and that made me feel relieved. But, of course, I can’t always talk about things so openly. About 13 years ago, I started having panic attacks, though I didn’t know what they were at the time because it wasn’t a well-known condition. I went to a cardiologist because my heart was racing so fast that I thought I might be dying or had some strange illness. There’s something called a Holter monitor test, where they attach sensors all over your body they have a test where they measure your heart rate all day long. So, I went through all kinds of tests. After finishing the Holter monitor test, the doctor told me something surprising. He said, 'I’ll refer you to a psychiatrist.' From what he saw, there was no issue with my heart. I asked, 'Why?' and he said he thought it was panic disorder. That’s what the doctor said. So, they connected me to a psychiatrist within the hospital. After I saw the psychiatrist and got tested for panic disorder, I scored almost 90—nearly 99 points. I have so much to say, but I wonder what you’re curious about. As you know, I’m quite the chatterbox, and I could talk all night... No, I mean, I really could! I have that style because, as I mentioned, I relieve stress by talking. Especially since you’re giving me the chance to speak, I appreciate it so much. You saw how I almost fainted before, right? Even in front of those people who seemed like they were ready to eat me alive, I still managed to talk. So, I really appreciate your curiosity about me. Oh my, who am I for people to be so curious about me like this? I sometimes respond to DMs, though I can’t reply to everyone. Usually, I don’t even respond much; I just hit “like.” A heart. And for messages that feel too personal to simply like, I’ll send an emoji, either laughing or crying. But you know how it is... When people praise me excessively and I hit “like,” it feels like I’m agreeing with them, and that makes me feel weird, like I’m some crazy person. So, I’ve just been handling it like that. But I’m really grateful for it all. Honestly, what’s the big deal about getting a heart from me? Deep down, I’d love to send something to everyone who messages me. It’s really not a big deal, so there’s no need to be overjoyed by it. If there’s something they want to hear from me, I don’t mind at all. People have asked me to write a book or teach something. You know, I even got offers to be a professor before and I’ve had countless offers to write a book. The reason I’m rambling on like this is that when it comes to human relationships, I think it would be nice if we each had a manual for understanding how to interact with each other. Given that everyone has different personalities and temperaments, before I meet someone, I might unintentionally hurt them or vice versa, and I really dislike that. It makes me think about how difficult human relationships can be and I wish I could know a bit about the 'manual' for that person. If I knew that, I could avoid stepping on their toes, you know? But since we don’t have that. On the flip side, I also want to share my manual with all of you—like, "This is how you can deal with me," or, "This is how I prefer conversations to go," or "This is just my style of speaking." If people knew that, it could make things much easier. That’s what I always worry about when giving talks like this. What should I possibly talk about in one or two hours? Think about it—I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years. How can I compress all of that into just two hours? It’s impossible! So, I end up talking about only a few things. But for someone else, they might think, “Oh, I wanted to hear about this, but why is she talking about that?” Everyone’s different, right? That’s why I’m always thinking about how to satisfy everyone. I’m a bit of a perfectionist in that sense—I want to make everyone happy. So, I often wonder, “How can I make this as satisfying as possible?” It’s something I’ve struggled with. Today, I’ve been thinking about what I can say that would be helpful or meaningful to all of you. Well, my path as a producer is a bit unique. It’s not the typical route most people take. So, a lot of people are curious and ask questions like, 'How did you get to that point? How did it all happen?' or 'You were a designer, so why did you suddenly become a producer?' There are a lot of common questions like that. I think I'll focus on those kinds of things when I talk about it. But as I do, I keep wondering, 'Who am I to talk about my story like this?' I'm really thankful, though, that you're willing to listen to my story—it's such a blessing. But still, sometimes I wonder, 'Is this even worth listening to?' Anyway, even though I feel that way, I think you’ll find it interesting, so I'll share it. When I was younger—how should I put this—I kind of looked down on pop music, and I know that sounds a bit pretentious. Of course, there’s a lot of great pop music out there, but the mainstream music that we call 'pop'... Well, when you're young, everyone goes through a bit of a hipster phase, right? Like a phase of trying to be different. Ever since I was younger, I would think, 'Honestly, there are songs that just resonate with me.' But most of the time, pop music didn’t really hit me like that. So, naturally, I gravitated toward songs that made me feel something and that eventually shaped my taste. Because of that, I think I ended up not listening to a lot of mainstream pop music. I used to watch TV a lot, but I’m such an old-school person that I call it 'television,' while people these days call it something else, I say that and they react. I used to watch TV a lot, but even while watching it, I’d think, "It’s not completely my style." I always had this odd stubbornness from a young age. I felt like there was so much good music in the world. I mean, these days digging for music is so normal. But when I was younger, in my university days it wasn’t like that. When I was in my freshman year, the Macintosh came out for the first time. It was brand new when I was in my first year of university. Before that, we didn’t even have Photoshop. So, we learned Photoshop alongside our professors. Photoshop had just come out at that time. Before that, since I majored in visual design, I used to work with typesetting. The seniors in the generation just before mine had to do everything by hand. Hand-drawing was the foundation and if you couldn’t draw, you couldn’t get into an art school. I was from a very in-between generation. I was stuck between the analog and digital worlds, because during my 20s, I was caught in the middle of this transition. I experienced an intense period of change. In those days, it was really difficult to discover new music. So, during middle school and elementary school, I would listen to music by selecting my favorite radio channels. I would put a blank cassette tape in and listen to the songs. When I heard a good intro that matched my style, I would record my favorite songs onto those blank tapes. I have a ton of those tapes at home and they bring back such nostalgic and cherished memories for me. That's how we listened to music. When hip-hop started coming out, I thought the world had turned upside down. I realized I could find songs from foreign artists that I loved, even though it was difficult to get the albums back then. I’ve mentioned before that albums used to cost around 15,000 won, which was a lot back then. Imagine, when I was in elementary school, a CD cost around 10,000 to 15,000 won— that was such a ridiculous amount! I would worry about scratches on the CDs and I even made a special bag to carry them around. So, I created NewJeans first album out of that nostalgia. I used to carry CDs like they were treasures, giving them as gifts. I had a favorite male teacher in middle school and the gift I gave him at the end of the semester was a CD. He probably didn’t think much of it but I really cherished that CD. I debated whether to give him my favorite CD thinking, ‘Should I give it to him or not?’ But since he was someone I admired, I decided to give it to him. That’s how precious CDs were to me. Now, everything is so much easier. Back when I was young, buying a CD meant I would obsessively play it from start to finish. It was so precious to me that I couldn’t help but listen to the entire tracklist and I would be careful not to damage the booklet inside. I would delicately flip through it remembering the names of all the staff and memorizing the lyrics as I looked at the CD. Even though I didn’t have a huge interest in pop music at the time, I think I developed a desire to show something of myself in a big way. It wasn’t just because I liked idols; when I was 25 years old, the biggest company was SM Entertainment. I thought it might be better to have a bigger platform to spread my wings, so I decided to apply to SM. During my interview, I confidently said that I wasn’t here because I loved music. I said something like, 'I think there’s a lack of graphic design concepts here and I believe I can help make it more stylish.' At that time, I thought, even if I didn’t get in it would be okay. I just had that mindset. I had some thoughts about it because I had previously worked at another company so I approached the situation a bit boldly. However, I didn’t really talk about that; I shared it in a more polished way. By chance, it seems they viewed that positively. I’m not sure how they really thought about it, but I think they had a good impression and that’s how I ended up getting in. Back then, there was a lot of uncertainty; there really wasn’t anything in place. The company didn’t have any systems at all, especially in the graphic design department which was completely nonexistent. There was just nothing. So during the first year or two, I think I really struggled with whether I should leave. I just can’t handle it anymore. It’s so hard; things should make sense but it’s difficult. I’ve had those thoughts and have been contemplating a lot. I’ve had a few good opportunities for example, back when the producer Lee Soo-man noticed me and thought, ‘Hey, this kid seems a bit smart.’ Suddenly, when I was an assistant manager, he sent a group email to the team leaders saying, ‘You guys don’t know anything about clothes or graphics, so listen to this kid, even if he’s just an assistant manager.’ He was a bit more aware of things back then. For example, I can’t take photos freely. I have to work only with the photos someone else takes; it’s a bit of a dilemma and leaves me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. However, I’m not the type to be rude about it. From the beginning I thought, ‘I have some experience, so I should incorporate my ideas and learn.’ I didn’t just jump in without thinking; I approached it by saying, ‘I’ll try this or that.’ So, I started receiving the photos taken by others and doing graphic design with them. But there was this lingering feeling that it was a bit unsatisfactory. Because of that, I wanted to give some direction to the stylist, to say, ‘Let’s try to shoot in this style.’ Before I started directing the stylist, I began selecting photographers myself. Before that, the managers were the ones handling that work, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. So, I thought, ‘I’ll take charge of this,’ and started selecting photographers. I thought, since I wasn't feeling fulfilled with that, maybe I could try some style directing with the stylists. But I was still in my 20s at the time in my late 20s. I realized that the stylists had more experience than I did, so why would they listen to me? Here I was, a kid just starting out, telling them what to do. No matter how politely I approached it, they might not want to hear it. At that time, idol styling wasn't as sophisticated as it is now, and we were often met with harsh rejection from magazines. You can't imagine it now, but back then, idols had a very different atmosphere surrounding them. It was a time when being an idol was seen as a bit uncool or too flashy. There wasn't anything like the Korean Wave back then, so it was a period where idols faced a lot of disdain. For example, HOT was incredibly popular, but when I joined, I remember the SM building was a yellow building that had a lot of egg marks on it, likely from when HOT disbanded. The remnants of those eggs were everywhere, scattered around the company. However, I wasn't really interested in HOT; I might have been the only person in high school who wasn’t. It wasn't just that I didn't like them; I had absolutely no interest. So, I didn't know much when I joined the company. But anyway, the time when I started giving some direction to stylists was during the first album of Girls' Generation. I could discuss the jacket design with the stylist, but when it came to the music videos, I had no authority. In the music videos, they would wear whatever they wanted, which I found really strange. At that time, I didn’t watch the music videos because I couldn’t bear to see it. You know about the ‘Pink Tape’ right? Actually, that wasn’t something the company told me to do. In a way, f(x) had just debuted at that time, and there was this feeling that we had to create something that captured their essence. But just doing it graphically wasn’t strong enough; we needed to create a video. However, there hadn’t been teaser videos before that. While there were teaser videos, there wasn’t any film structure that I wanted. I had this feeling that I wanted to convey a certain story, but there was nothing like that available, which made it difficult to explain. Plus, getting approval from the company was tedious and frustrating. So, I thought I’d minimize the production costs. That’s when my younger brother and I worked together on it. He did a great job, and with a small production budget, we were able to create something nice. My brother was studying film, so he had some unique cameras, which was a bonus. Anyway, I believed in my younger brother's abilities So I ended up convincing my younger brother, who originally had no interest in it at all. I was like, ‘Hey, can you help me out just this once?’ Honestly, I feel like I’ve come this far thanks to my brother. Anyway, back then, I managed to persuade him, and the production budget was 5 million won for that reason. There wasn't really a budget for that project, and I just suddenly created it. When it came time to get approval, I didn’t want to go through that process, but I had to. I was thinking, ‘What do I even need approval for? This isn’t even a real project. But anyway, I had to get it approved, right? There's this scene where Krystal eats paper and they told me to take it out. Inside, I was thinking, 'Why? What's the point of this?' I couldn't sleep because I was so frustrated. It really pissed me off, so I ended up writing a long email like writing a thesis, explaining why that scene had to stay. I kept insisting relentlessly, saying it couldn't be done without it and that it had to be included. In the end, they didn't touch anything and let it go. Honestly, when you're working, how do you resolve things with your superiors? What’s your method for solving problems? There isn’t really a standard solution because the approaches you all have and your personalities are not like mine; they’re different, right? And your boss isn’t the same as my boss; they’re completely different! But they always expect me to work magic, like I have some kind of secret know-how. Why do you think everything should come so easily? The world doesn’t offer things easily without limits. There’s really nothing you can just get for free. You have to live on your own, but you keep putting it off, right? Eventually, you’ll face it when you’re old. When you’re old and face it, you won’t have the energy or the know-how; you’ll just fail. That’s what adults fear, and that’s why they tell their children, 'When you’re young, do this, do that.' Because when you’re young, you memorize things easily without even trying. Studying becomes very easy because your brain absorbs information effortlessly. But when you’re old, it just doesn’t stick. It drives me crazy! I had an amazing memory when I was young; I even received awards for my memory in kindergarten. But now, I can’t memorize anything. Since I didn’t practice studying and memorizing, I never developed a habit for it, and now I can’t study at all. Nothing sticks, and I never developed that memorization habit when I was younger. Now, I’ve gotten older, my memory has declined and it’s just too hard. So, when older people give advice, it’s not nagging—they’re actually trying to help you. They’re telling you to take advantage of your brain while it’s like a sponge. When you memorize something as a kid, you don’t forget it easily. There’s a reason for that, and that’s why older people give advice. If I explain it kindly like this, you might think, 'Oh, that makes sense.' But if someone just bluntly tells you, 'Do this!' then you start thinking, 'Ugh, that old nag, always pushing something.' You shouldn’t get caught up in that frame of thinking. The world today loves to make everything into a joke, with memes and stuff. They tend to make everything comedic or trivial. Even if you work as a freelancer, there still needs to be a basic direction in-house. No matter how skilled a freelancer is, they need to align with the basic direction of the company. That’s the role of in-house teams—to provide guidance. People from outside don’t understand the internal situation; they don’t know the schedule, how the company operates, or what kind of results need to be achieved. They don’t know anything. In that context, being a concept artist becomes meaningless. This is because we are not creating fine art; popular art has to balance beauty and commercial appeal. Navigating that balance is both fun and challenging. I believe that especially in entertainment agencies, the in-house team is crucial for utilizing good talent and enhancing their capabilities. For instance, you know Director Shin Wooseok right? He’s a no-touch kind of person. You absolutely shouldn’t interfere with him; if you do, he’ll just say he’s going home. He’s that kind of artist. So with him, I never told him what to do. But what moved him to work with me was my sense of direction. So we had a work style where it was very important for him to understand why he had to do something. That’s why we could work together—because we shared a common understanding. Even though he wasn’t technically a freelancer from our perspective, he was like an outside freelancer. He had full creative freedom, but our directions were always aligned because we shared that understanding. After we worked together, and since he doesn’t really talk much about it, it’s a bit unfortunate because he's really popular, you know. After he worked on our project, everyone wanted to hire him. Almost every agency reached out to him, and a lot of teams contacted him. He even showed me some of the DMs. Of course, he said, “I’m not going to do it,” but still, a lot of offers came in. Maybe if they had met him in person they could have discussed things differently, but that’s just how it went. Why didn’t you work with Director before working with us? What I mean is, if you do something well in one project, you shouldn’t just try to transplant that to the next one. That’ll only make you second-best. Why would the director repeat what he’s already done? Even when I looked at the DMs you could see a certain style I really like Director's style and there’s stuff like 'Ditto' and all that. But as a creator, that doesn’t motivate you. Why would you make 'Ditto 2'? It wouldn’t even feel like it’s your own. You end up ruining the original, right? So, when you're working with someone at a certain level, especially those with a bit of an ego or self-confidence about their craft, you have to match that level. Only then can you create something deeper. That’s what’s unfortunate—people rush in and, just because something was successful, they swarm to whoever was involved, whether it’s a photographer, music video director, or whatever, without thinking deeper. When someone becomes a bit successful, everyone rushes in. That leads to being second or third, and it keeps happening. You could say it's a trend that's being formed, but if trends become too entrenched, it just leads to another trend. Trends are always aligned with other trends. What does that mean? It has to do with the nature of popular culture, which we cannot deny. You all often ask me how to follow trends, but it's not just about following trends—it's about how to lead them. How can you create them? That’s what I’m always discussing. I tell people not to work with those who have already done something. Ofcourse, our music video directors might not like hearing that but even if you work with someone who excels in their field, ask them to do it in a different style. Because if someone is good at one thing, they usually excel in many areas. Most of the time, someone who excels at one thing can do ten things well. That's just their innate ability. So you should be thinking about how to leverage that. But for that to happen, you first need to become a high-level director yourself. It’s a classic chicken-and-egg situation, isn’t it? This game keeps going on. In that context, what I want to say is that as I mentioned earlier, I believe culture is incredibly diverse and vast, yet popular culture often feels like it's only engaging with a small part of that vastness. It’s always doing just this one thing, and that’s what I find so frustrating. So, to change that, I created a team and that’s actually NewJeans. While the members of NewJeans didn’t exist yet, my goal was to expand the field, ultimately aiming to produce music myself. But I’m not a composer, right? However, I’ve always thought that having a single composer oversee everything isn’t a good idea. It doesn’t work well because each person has their own style and habits. Those habits inevitably influence their writing. The same goes for graphic design; I have my own distinct style as well. So, when it comes to music, I’ve always wondered if it makes sense for composers to handle it all. Of course, Lee Soo-man is an exception since he was a singer, but most players in this field typically follow that approach. I wanted to break away from that era, even if it might seem presumptuous. People easily get caught up in conventions. What I mean is that when others succeed by doing things a certain way, they think they must follow that same path. But that only applies to entrance exams or places like hagwons in Daechi-dong. Art is completely different. It needs to go in the opposite direction to succeed.

Culture has to be flexible and adaptable. So when I was at SM... this isn't a diss, just expressing my opinion. I really didn't like their slogan "Culture Technology." I mean, it's not like I'm against it, but I just think there shouldn't be technology in culture. I believe that without it, culture can grow and multiply like an amoeba, constantly moving and thriving. Actually, I designed the SM logo before I left, and I also designed the HYBE logo. The reason I made the SM logo deliberately flexible was that I hoped the company would become that way. The slogan of HYBE is "We Believe in Music," and I created that. I didn't come up with the name "HYBE," but I did create the slogan. The reason I did that is because I wanted to infuse it with soul. I wanted each company to have its own unique soul. I thought, "I hope this company can embody that." Because when it comes to branding, I believe there should at least be some soul behind it. This is something I’ve kept to myself until now. I especially hope that work done by people isn’t reduced to just a technical process. That’s been my motto, and I still firmly believe that culture should be like that. I don’t know how people who are focused on making money feel about it, but it’s not like you can't make money either—NewJeans has made a lot of money. So what I really wished for was to seamlessly integrate art and business. Then, I think that would create a tremendous synergy. But no one seems to do that. For example, there were many times I got really frustrated, but one particular instance stands out. I’ve put in all this effort, working late into the night to create something beautiful, only for some business guys to take it and turn it into a mess? I’m sorry for using the term “guys,” but I also use “ladies” often. I believe that men and women are equal, so it’s not meant to belittle anyone; it’s just that there were mostly men back then. So I referred to them as “guys.” Not all men are like that, of course; those who are problematic are just a part of the whole. But those guys are really good at pretending to be virtuous. They act like, “I’m doing business, I’m making money.” But what nonsense is that? Without any source, you can’t run a business—what are you talking about? I was thinking this in my mind. It really bothered me that they were ruining what I had worked so hard to create. So, I wanted to do this myself. It’s not that I wanted to do business specifically, but eventually it became the case. I wanted to try everything myself. To be honest, I don’t do much ideation; I just think about it in the shower or casually throughout the day. I think about it a lot because it’s what I enjoy doing. Just like how you don’t limit your thoughts about your boyfriend, girlfriend, or children to just certain times—you think about them all the time. So I’m always thinking, “What do I need to do to make this work?” And then I realize, “Why am I letting my work be ruined by these people?” That was always the conclusion I came to. I used to be quite obsessive about things. In the early days when fan art started coming out, I would get upset and think, “Why did they draw it this way?” But now, I don't feel that way at all. This was a decade ago when I was still naive and didn’t know better; I’ve gone through my own transformation over the years. I’ve had my moments of arrogance and times of reflection, so I've changed a lot. These days, I post fan art on Instagram all the time, and it brings tears to my eyes. Just seeing the artwork warms my heart. I’ve never had children, but I imagine it’s similar to how mothers feel when their kids bring home drawings of them that look like monsters when they’re 5 or 6 years old. You just can’t throw them away, right? All my friends have these drawings kept safe because even though they might look silly, they’re filled with love. It’s that kind of feeling for me. I wonder what kind of feelings led them to create it and I don't want to throw those feelings away, so I scrapbook them. But since I can't see everything, I just appreciate what I can when I do see it. So for those who haven’t been picked for features, there’s no need to feel hurt. Actually, I’ve become a bit more familiar with Instagram through NewJeas, so I didn’t know much about it before. I’m a bit of a klutz when it comes to technology. I tend to just stick to what I know and don’t really enjoy delving into it deeply. So I don’t really study manuals or anything like that; I just go with my intuition. That’s why I like Apple products—there are no lengthy explanations. I used to just play around with Photoshop without studying; I would try things out based on what I saw someone else doing. I have a somewhat laid-back approach, which is a bit funny considering I’m also a perfectionist. But anyway, what was I talking about just now? Ah, fan art! So, please don’t feel hurt if you don’t get selected. Instagram has different sections, right? There are friend recommendations, group approvals, and hidden friends, and I must admit, I usually don’t check the hidden friends section because I’m just too busy. There’s always so much new stuff there. But just remember, if you get featured, it’s really not a big deal; it doesn’t mean your art isn’t good. I’m just casually scrolling through and thinking, “Oh, that looks cool,” and then I share it. So, don’t assign too much meaning to it. I love seeing how happy you all are, and I want you to feel good about it! I share all of it with the members, too. They love checking it out, and we all laugh about it together. I want to emphasize that the members appreciate you all so much! They see all of your efforts, and it’s important for artists to know how much their fans care. Especially the members, the stage is everything. When they perform, it’s like they’re riding a wave of energy from the audience. They genuinely enjoy it so much that even if they’re in pain, they don’t feel it while performing. It’s a testament to their talent as artists. When they’re on stage, it’s like they’re rejuvenated by the crowd’s energy. And once the performance is over, the adrenaline rush kicks in! I haven’t been able to sleep well, but there are some members who can. Even the ones who sleep well sometimes struggle, you know? It’s like, how can you sleep so well? When I ask them, they say their hearts are racing and they can’t sleep. But then there are those who do sleep well. And those members know they need to rest for the next day’s performance. You might have an idea of who I’m talking about. I look at our members and think, "Wow, these kids are really something." There’s a level of professionalism among them that’s incredible. Honestly, when I mentioned wanting to label them it’s because, while money is important—it’s a way to quantify my value—there are so many things in this world that are more important than money. Truly, poor people aren’t necessarily unhappy. Happiness varies for everyone, and the standards for happiness are different. But I’m speaking from my perspective and for me money serves as a quantifiable measure of my value. In that sense, money has significance, but money itself doesn’t hold intrinsic meaning. So, if I separate myself from this work, I feel like it loses its meaning. My goal isn’t just to become a CEO or to start a company for the sake of making money; I wanted to experiment with my life. I wanted to explore why some things seem like they should succeed, but they don’t. I don’t know if you’ve read all my interviews, but I mentioned in an old interview with a magazine called beattitude that I was experimenting with my life. This was before my debut with NewJeans. I wrote about how I was nervous and excited about trying something new. Not many people actually experiment with their lives like that. But here I am, wondering why such things happen to me. It’s challenging for most people to endure this kind of situation. As of now, I've incurred legal fees amounting to 2.3 billion won. A certain lawyer has been engaging in these meaningless lawsuits, employing strategic blockades, or whatever it’s called, to prevent me from responding. If I keep trying to respond, it could lead to bankruptcy. I used to think I was a millionaire because I’m not the type to save money. I spend it freely, so despite what you might think, I’m definitely not wealthy. Because of this lawsuit, I’m going to have to sell my house. I probably will have to sell it. But honestly, I feel very grateful. This isn’t just a fake sentiment; I’m really thankful. I had a house for this purpose, and I wonder, “What if I didn’t have a house?” If I didn’t have a house, what would I have done? I really want to fight this battle, but if I didn’t have money, I couldn’t fight back. I want to really get into this fight, but to do that, I need to take legal action, and I can’t do that without money. So, I feel like I’m a millionaire in this regard. I’m also really grateful that I don’t have a husband or kids. If I had a husband and children, I would have to send my kids to school and deal with all that. Oh my, I’m alone, and I’m really lucky that my parents are doing well and I don’t have to worry about them. So, what I’ve managed to save feels like real wealth. But in just three months, the lawsuit fees keep piling up. How could an average person manage that? Absolutely impossible. So, let me just say it once: Damn, I have to win this. I want to prevent these kinds of fights because someone needs to endure the hits for this process to unfold. It’s necessary to hold on until things reach a breaking point. If there are others facing similar risks, I can later offer advice on how to navigate their situations or even help create legislation if things seem unjust. I intend to endure long enough so that the people with money can’t easily win these battles. As you may know, I have never said I would leave the company. From the very beginning, starting on April 22, I have been here. I didn’t even know what was going on when I was suddenly accused of something. We were confused about where the conflict originated. That’s why the atmosphere has been so tense. What does it even mean to be accused like that? I realized that life can hit you in unexpected ways. I want to share my experience because I believe I will win this fight. Why am I so confident? Because there is no wrongdoing on my part. You can’t fabricate guilt out of nothing. No matter how many lies are told or how exaggerated the situation becomes, the truth will eventually surface. I understand the natural laws of reality. Despite being struck in such a disgraceful manner. So, I will reveal the entire process. It’s amazing that this can happen. And I told you, I’m a homebody and I don’t enjoy nightlife. I don’t like going out or having fun; I just work at home and in my studio every day. So, I’m fortunate in that regard. When my lawyers first met me, they said they respect me. I asked why, and they explained that in most cases like this, people usually get knocked down by the legal system and never make it this far. It’s not because they don’t have money, but because they often give up due to the humiliation of being defeated in the early stages of legal proceedings. But the fact that I’ve made it this far means there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Since there’s nothing to lose, they’re trying to create reasons to tear me down. But I’m not bothered by that at all. Because in the end, everything has a cause and effect. However, when you all read the news articles, you only see parts of the story. So, people cannot know the full cause and effect behind all these events. They get misled by that. But in reality, the court will clarify everything. But there are things that even judges may not see. However, I fundamentally believe that if there’s no crime, you can’t create a crime out of nothing. It really sucks that this will take time, but it will eventually be revealed. And by that time, you all might forget about it. But there’s a reason why this is happening to me; I think it’s because I’m a bit of an unusual person. What I mean is that God is telling me, “You can handle this. Don’t dislike it too much. Just don’t applaud too loudly; it’s kind of cringy.” I believe that whatever I can handle is given to me for a reason. I’ll just endure it. I’ll give it a try. And then there are the members who are also involved in this situation. They must feel really unfair about it. I’ve never said I wanted to leave the company, yet I keep being pushed out. Why would the members want to leave the company? They probably felt fine, especially since I treated them well. However, I’m sure they sensed something. You know, sometimes things accumulate, and suddenly, they explode. It’s like if you keep getting hit over and over, you can handle it. But when you suddenly get hit hard, it hurts more. I believed that there is a right timing for things, and when I quit my job, I received many suggestions like, 'Get an MBA, we’ll send you abroad, go study management and become a CEO.' But what I thought was, especially in the Korean entertainment industry, you can’t learn it through management courses. How would business school people know about this harsh reality? You know what I mean, right? Business and economics majors, they don’t teach you this kind of management. They teach you how to cleverly make money and how the economy works. But this kind of management, you only learn by actually experiencing it, by going through the grind, making mistakes, and getting beaten down. That’s how you internalize it. I believe I’ve already internalized all of that, and I hate studying—I didn’t even like studying back in school—so why would I go back to study now? That’s why, with my impatience, I ended up here. This is how it all started. When I first created NewJeans, one of the things I focused on the most was the purity of the NewJeans members. It’s not just that NewJeans are pure—most trainees I’ve seen are, generally, really pure. Of course, there are some who aren’t, but the majority are. But I kept thinking, how can I preserve that pure feeling and keep it throughout their entire career? To me, that was the key. Why? Because, from what I know and have seen, idols are subject to so many rules. You can’t do this, you can’t do that, there’s just so much. And then the world criticizes them, calling them puppets. But if they don’t follow the rules, they’re criticized again. This is too hard for teenagers to handle. It’s brutal. They come home, and adults say, 'Don’t do this,' but when they go out, it’s 'Do this.' Then they come home, and it’s 'Don’t do this,' and when they go out, it’s 'Do this.' It drives them crazy. People say, 'Don’t act like a doll, just be yourself.' But if they say a few things naturally, people tear them apart like they want to kill them. Then they follow the rules, and people call them dolls again. What do you want from them? It’s so strange. It’s bizarre, to use a modern term. Young people often say things are "weird" or "bizarre." It truly is a strange situation for them. And the company trains them so brutally, as if it’s completely normal. In a way, idols are basically like athletes, from what I’ve seen. There’s this incredibly skilled physical therapist I assigned to the members. He’s so good that when I had a session with him, I thought, 'Wow, the kids absolutely need this.' Because if they receive this treatment from a young age, they won’t suffer when they get older. When I was younger, I didn’t get to meet experts like him. Anyway, I was talking with that therapist, and we both agreed—they’re athletes. These kids are like athletes, but they’re beautiful athletes. The level of training they undergo is just like that of professional athletes. Their mindset training, too—everything is intense. Trainers see them and think, 'They’re just like athletes.' But they also have to have a good personality. With athletes, we don’t really focus much on their character, right? But our kids, they’re like athletes—they have to be beautiful, take care of their appearance, and also have a good personality. And honestly, I want to destroy all those who nitpick. It’s just so cruel. People need to realize how brutal it is. Imagine if someone was constantly following you around like CCTV, waiting for you to make a mistake, and then losing their mind over it. These are kids, for crying out loud, and they’re being talked about like that. It’s not just our kids—it happens to anyone. That’s why, later on, even if they make a lot of money, they end up feeling drained and empty. There’s a reason for all of that. That need for compensation—they’re going to seek it somewhere. When that feeling of needing compensation arises, they’re going to find a way to satisfy it. And to be honest, seeing a psychiatrist isn’t going to solve it. I’m sorry, but while a psychiatrist might understand what was going on in their mind at the time or the emotions they were dealing with, how could they really know? I'm really grateful, too. Because there are these people called Team Bunnies, right? The fan support team. I've never seen their faces and I don’t even know their age range, but I'm so thankful. They suddenly appeared out of nowhere, like Hong Gildong, and started supporting me. They often help me out, like posting things for me. But still, since there are so many social pressures and things to consider, sometimes it’s hard to be comfortable. However, I’m really grateful that Team Bunnies steps in to help with that. It's not like they’re receiving any compensation for this; it’s like they’re doing it out of kindness. Honestly, I don’t even know how many of them there are or where they are located. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. I really want to bow and say thank you, and I might make a mistake while being here. It feels a bit like a spy movie. I was talking with my friends about how I really like the drama Homeland. I’m not sure if it’s an American or British drama, but I think it’s probably American. Didn’t HBO do it? Anyway, there’s this drama where the female lead goes through a lot of turmoil. I really liked that show, but while watching, I thought, 'I don’t want to live a life like that. People working in this industry also pledge their loyalty, but that loyalty doesn’t last long. When their feelings change, they may think the employer is always good, but that’s not the case. You can leave whenever you want; if you don’t like it, you can just say, 'I’ll leave.' You can also receive protection from the labor office, right? But employers don’t have that kind of protection. So there are strengths and weaknesses, and pros and cons on both sides. Being an employee isn’t always good, and being an employer isn’t always good either. It depends on the situation. When I think about that, controlling my artists isn’t easy, so how can I manage a lot of employees? That doesn’t make sense. Do they even understand what I mean? That’s impossible. There’s a history and attitude from past experiences, so I need people who have flexible minds to understand when working with someone like me. If you’ve worked in an organization, you’ll know that a small number of people do the work; it’s not the majority. It’s inevitable. Just like the law of conservation of mass, there seems to be a similar law for intelligent people. A small number lead, and a small number become consultants, while the majority of people operate under them. That’s how organizations work. You can see that when you do group projects. I can handle things easily. Depending on their characteristics, different methods can be applied. There’s no exact formula for this. That’s why I intentionally started with a small group, around four or five people, to ensure they understood my intentions. It’s not just about continuously working with those specific individuals; there’s a certain level of synergy involved. Since those people learned from me, they can also teach others. So, my thought process is to keep a small number of skilled individuals and reward them well. In my organization, I try to give good compensation to my employees. This is because I value learning from people like Heejin, so I often work without expecting anything in return. I absolutely don’t believe in that mentality. It’s just how I feel today. I wouldn’t want to use people that way, and I’ve never been the type to owe anyone. Even if I buy a meal, it’s always in my nature to pay. I’ve never relied on anyone, not even my boyfriend. I don’t believe in getting something for nothing. I think that if you invest passion, you’ll get just as much in return. And when I meet and talk with the members, one of the first things I wanted to do was break the ice. They see me as the boss, you know? I’m an adult, the same age as their mothers. It’s really difficult. No matter how well I do, it’s hard. That’s why I think, even if they act out in front of their moms, their moms won’t just kick them out. But in a company, I feel like if I act out, it might be like, 'You’re out of here tomorrow.' Especially for younger kids, if they feel like they’re being looked down on, it might be hard for them. This isn’t me pretending to be their mom; it’s just that the word 'mom' is easy to use. A mom can accept you no matter what mistakes you make. So what? And if a mom is upset, it’s only for a day. After that, things get a little better, right? She doesn’t just throw you away. Most of the time. So, I thought I should give the members that kind of feeling: even if you make a mistake, I will never abandon you. Don’t get stuck on that. Because, as you know, when you watch shows about kids with attachment issues, they often display that behavior. If they feel like they aren’t receiving attention or think they’re in a precarious situation, they tend to act out in a compensatory way. I’m speaking in a subjective way here. First of all, I wanted to create a sense of reassurance. Everyone can make mistakes. Sometimes, it’s even cooler to learn from those mistakes. So I wanted to keep that possibility open as much as possible. That’s why I encouraged them to try writing lyrics. At first, the kids were like, “We have to write lyrics? Us?” They had that kind of reaction. They were always a bit hesitant. When they were younger and practicing as trainees, they would respond with, “Yes? Yes?” after everything. It was like an infectious response—whatever was said, they would just echo it back, making it sound like, “Oh, we’re saying ‘yes’ again.” During our advertising shoot, some of the staff even said that hearing them relieved their stress. So, when I brought up the idea of songwriting, the kids were initially unsure, like, “Can we really do that?” There were a lot of hesitant words. But I told them, “Just try it. What’s the worst that could happen? Just write whatever comes to mind, whether it’s good or bad. You’ll never know unless you try.” They often don’t realize what they’re truly capable of until they give it a shot. So I pushed them to try, and once they saw that they could actually do it, their confidence skyrocketed. They’d be like, “Wait, I didn’t think I could do this, but I did!” It can turn out like this, you know? When I was young, I was really scared. I thought about this and acted accordingly with the kids. I was afraid, so when my mom told me to do something, I would resist. For example, I was so scared that I wouldn’t ride a bike. I just didn’t want to, and I wasn’t interested. And now I can’t ride a bike at all, but I really envy people who can. I see them having fun and enjoying themselves, and I think, "That looks amazing." But back then, I couldn’t break through that fear. Even swimming—my mom was a butterfly stroke champion, and I felt embarrassed to ask her to teach me. I would cry and throw a fit instead of just asking for help. Now that I’m older, I wish I had asked her to teach me. I reflect on that and think that maybe the members are feeling something similar. When I introduced them to our A&R team at first, I would randomly ask them to sing without any accompaniment, just standing up in the practice room. They were all shy about it, of course. But once one or two of them did it, it became a normal thing. Looking back, it seems a bit strange—like when a mom says, "Oh, you sang well at home! Now sing in front of my friends!" It was kind of like that. But there was a reason behind it. I wanted them to try performing in front of someone like our director, Kim Ki-hyun, who was supposed to guide A&R. That was why I pushed them to do it.

You have to try singing with your raw voice when it's pure to know your true skill. There’s no reason to hide your abilities in front of trainers. You need to understand exactly what you're struggling with. If you start thinking, "What if I embarrass myself in front of this guy?" or "What if I embarrass myself in front of that woman?" you won't be able to do it. That’s why I did ice-breaking activities. I said, "Hey, we’re all family here. It doesn’t matter if I’m in my pajamas. Who cares?" We shouldn’t feel embarrassed. When that embarrassment goes away, people become close really quickly. But it’s not something that happens overnight. It’s like water seeping into paper; you wonder, “When did we become this close?” Every day needs to be sincere and every day needs to be hard work. Even then, conflicts will arise. The members will argue and then make up. That’s just how humans are. It’s how we learn to reconcile. You have to fight with your boyfriend to learn how to make up. After fighting, it’s not about breaking up; it’s about realizing that you like each other too much to let it end that way, so you try to reconcile. I always tell my boyfriend that we’re not going to break up, so just let it go. There’s no point in holding onto anger because it makes working together so hard. Anyway, in this context, if we’re going to achieve our goals, we should resolve things as quickly as possible. If I had gaslit the members in anyway, that would be the reason. You all have been gaslit in a strange way since April. It’s okay. So, no matter how much I talk about patience, it still holds true. Now, if I were to say today that I gaslit NewJeans, I would want you to experience how I gaslit them. I talk about these things with NewJeans all the time because they need to understand the system to some extent. I want my kids to be smart, so I’m always honest about everything. I talk about how to do well at work and how things operate in this industry on purpose. I don’t want them to hate it, but I also don’t just tell them everything bluntly. I try to be as honest as possible, close to the truth, so they aren’t shocked later on. After all, this is the kind of world we live in, so they need to learn how things are done step by step. I don’t want to hit them all at once with the harsh realities. This industry isn’t exactly beautiful; there are many harsh realities. Ignorance isn’t bliss; you need to know at least the basics. You can’t just be completely oblivious. But when celebrities start to taste money at a young age, things can go really wrong. They lose the sense of reality. They end up only handing out to their moms and don’t even know how much they’re making. I told Hyein, “Try to show me how much you’re earning.” She was like, “Uh, 1, 10, 100, 1000?” and that was how she first reacted. She just looks at it, and then I said, “Okay, give it to Mom.” It’s Mom who’s taking care of it all. If she starts to realize that, she won't be able to live a normal life. Before, it was about getting ten thousand won, twenty thousand won, or even fifty thousand won. It made her feel special. Can you imagine how many products are sent to us for free, thinking it’s something good? There are so many. But anyway, the way I see it, growing a company by going public and attracting investment is not necessarily a bad thing. There are reasons for it, and with more money, you can do greater things. If you spend it wisely, you can accomplish even bigger tasks. So, it's not that this method is bad; it's just that we are not a publicly traded company. We are a subsidiary within a larger organization, so we have some freedom. This means I don’t have that kind of pressure, and I want to balance the market while also engaging in artistic endeavors. I want to showcase something incredible in a business sense by combining the two. I want to see how far I can push this. When I had an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, I was very grateful to the reporter. They listened to me well and wrote a good piece, for which I am truly thankful. However, I noticed that the answer to the last question was omitted. I wanted to elaborate on it because I tend to talk a lot, and I often write extensively as well. So, I'd like to read this to you. The last question was about what I want to achieve through K-POP. I answered that it is about getting closer to the essence of the entertainment industry and ultimately achieving an ideal state. I explained that philosophy and art are often perceived as concepts that are at odds with business. This is because activities that generate profit are generally hard to deem beautiful or noble. Conversely, if you distance yourself from capital, even high-end art will inevitably become isolated in reality. Right? You know what I mean? If there’s no money, art can’t really shine. So, even in the past, when you think of great art, it was often supported by wealthy patrons. I have always dreamed of combining this seemingly contradictory perception. The capital market always focuses on what makes money, right? If it doesn't generate revenue, it won't receive attention. So, for me, generating revenue through NewJeans was crucial. No matter how much I focus on art, if no one is interested, it doesn't matter. You need to make money to attract interest. Only with capital can the intangible concepts I pursue—such as aesthetics and philosophy—receive attention and bloom with depth. In a way, the members of NewJeans are like researchers in this valuable venture. NewJeans proved its potential shortly after debut with sales and performance, demonstrating the possibility in the short term. While pursuing the true essence of entertainment—the joy itself—it brought about successful results, and when those outcomes shine in business as well, I’m curious to see just how far we can go when all boundaries are broken down. That’s my vision. It’s a very pure vision, actually. But over the past two years with NewJeans, I’ve somewhat lost that. So when people tell me, 'Just focus on producing,' it shows how little they understand about the job. How am I supposed to teach those who don’t know what they’re doing, while also managing everything else when the work itself is already overwhelming? And now they want to separate management from producing? From me? After I’ve achieved such results and raised this group to where it is now, they demand that from me? From my perspective, it’s so unreasonable. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have joined this company. Why would I put myself through this when that’s not what I want to do? I’ve said before, I wanted to test and experiment with this. But even that person initially told me, 'Go ahead and make things happen. No, I can't do that. They told me to make trouble. Right? Park Ji-won told me to take revenge and this other person told me to cause trouble, I did a bit. No, I did what you wanted, so why are you tormenting me like this? Anyway, everyone, don’t believe this has any significant meaning moving forward. Well, I mentioned I’m ENTP, right? If I were to start a real debate, should I suddenly post it as a joke on my Instagram story? But you still wouldn’t understand. That’s because the other person doesn’t know my character, and these things get exposed quickly. It’ll get exposed. I just talked with Jeff Benjamin a little while ago, and he’s really having a hard time. He’s so distressed. So, so distressed. I usually don’t reveal journalists’ names like this, but anyway, he’s a really good, neutral journalist. Please don’t make it harder for him. There are so many people around me suffering because of me right now, right? I feel so sorry for Director Shin Woo-seok. Really. Because of me, there are so many rumors going around, and his daughter is so lovely. When I went to the Tokyo Dome, the whole family was there. Please stop harassing them. I feel so sorry for Jang the journalist. What if he can’t write because of me? I have nothing to do with Kakao, really. What on earth is this rumor about Kakao even come from? How do people come up with these ridiculous stories? What’s this about sponsored content involving Munch? Oh, you guys know, right? I personally arranged for our production crew to go see Munch’s work. It was so good that I told the curator there and we decided to shoot our content there. I always send the kids to museums whenever theres a chance. How could that possibly be considered sponsored content? Does that go to Munch himself? I think no one would fall for it, but it’s just absurd. It doesn’t even make sense. No, I mean, there were really a lot of investors I didn’t meet. Even today, I got a message from one. But I always said, 'I don’t want to be misunderstood, so I don’t meet with anyone. I haven’t met anyone. I mean, I have no intention of going out so why do they keep imagining things? It's so strange that I... If I have a little time today, hold on... Oh, it's 9 o'clock. It's exactly two hours now. Originally, if I had the time, I was going to show you a bit more, and I even planned to play our demo for you. This is so funny, but someone might really dislike it if they hear this. This was written by FRNK... and right now, it only has the beat. And if Kim Ki-hyun hears this, he might think 'Why is this happening?' But no one actually told me to do this. The truth is, I used this song to lure Director Shin Wooseok but then I gave him a different song. So, the director was like, 'Aren't you a really strange person?' So right now, there’s no topline; it just has the beat. The reason I wanted to share this is that I really like it. When I like something, I just want to share it. But now, I’m not sure how our album will turn out, right? But I was thinking that it would be nice to create an instrumental intro. So I don’t know if it will be in this album or the next one, but anyway, no matter how much I try to attach a topline, the beat is just so solid that it holds everything together. Even Hanni said, 'I'll give it a try.' So Hanni brought the beat with her. Hanni is probably watching this broadcast, so whether it's chosen or not, I’ll reveal the topline. But somehow, this beat feels like a topline, and FRNK really made it super solid. After hearing it Kim Ki-hyun said, 'This is such a great song,' and he played it for me. As soon as I heard it, I was working with Director Shin Woo-seok at that time. I was determined to release this, so I thought about how to attach a topline and ended up just playing it for Director Shin Woo-seok. I asked him, 'Are you really not going to do this with our song?' But since the instrumental beat was so good, Director Shin Woo-seok was like, 'Is this an idol song? After we agreed to do it, I had to say, 'Oh, Director, I’m really sorry, but the timeline didn’t come out, so we switched to a different song.' So we gave him OMG first, and then we gave him Ditto. The reason I mentioned the deer is because I explained to the director that at that time, when our fandom really blew up, there were a lot of things being said within the idol fandom. There was so much talk about what we should or shouldn't do, and even a lot of talk about me. It was really stressful, especially because of Cookie. I mean, I would never write strange lyrics for Cookie when I think of the kids that way—it doesn’t make sense. It’s absurd! I'm a decent person, so I didn’t even know what they were implying about the lyrics. Who thinks that way? What kind of psyche is that? If they start interpreting things like that, there’s no end to it. And I already mentioned that it was written by Ylva. Ylva was so upset because people were saying such absurd things about it. There could be misunderstandings, sure. But at that time, I was really pissed off because of it. So what I said to the director was, 'I want to make this album something that clears up misunderstandings. I want it to be an album that conveys our true feelings to the fans.' So, this is about communication with the fans. When I heard the instrumental for Ditto, when I heard the demo for Ditto, I thought, 'Ah, this has to go in that direction.' That’s what I had in mind. And then I said, 'This is how NewJeans felt to me. We just went for it. But in the introduction, I suddenly reached this point. I didn't expect a deer to come out in the introduction. I mean, a deer? It turned out to be a deer, and I explained that it looked really scary. It was a flower deer that suddenly popped out of nowhere. So the deer popped out, and we, as observers, find it so fascinating and beautiful that we want to touch and pet it, right? But while the deer might enjoy that, it's also scared. So when we get closer, the deer gets really anxious. And if we move in even closer, the deer disappears. I felt like the deer was like NewJeans, you know? We appeared so boldly, and people came to us because they liked us. But we were so close, right? They might have been worried we would eat them, and we might not have realized that ourselves. So there could be such misunderstandings. That’s why I thought of a deer in the snowy field, and I just wanted to convey this feeling. Director Shin Wooseok did a genius job with that. I wondered what he would think. It must have been a good idea to him, too. Anyway, since he told me to wrap it up quickly, I feel a bit regretful, but Do you want to hear it? Yeah, that’s why I thought of making a video with this, whether or not the topline fits or not. The music just evokes a clear image. Listen to it once, and I hope this song makes its way out into the world. Play it, play it, please. Our staff made a bit of a mistake. This part is really important, and they cut it off there. But it was just a little long, so I thought it was okay. Isn't it great? This song really evokes a lot of visuals, actually. Anyway, I really enjoy sharing songs that I like, so I was really grateful when someone made a playlist for me on YouTube and Spotify. All the songs on there are ones I truly love. However, there are a few songs that are a bit incorrect. I’m not sure who I should talk to about this, but I want to say thank you to the people who made those playlists. If you can, could you please make a few slight corrections? You might not know what’s wrong with them, but anyway, I’m excited to see all of you today. I feel like I could finally share what I wanted to say, and it feels good to get it off my chest. I usually enjoy talking about production, but I haven't been able to do that lately due to some strange situations I’ve been involved in. So, being able to share this has been a good time for me. Thank you for your support, and I hope to see you again with good results! Please don’t just worry about my life, I hope all of you can be happy in your own lives as well. Anyway, I also want to thank Hyundai Card and Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young for arranging this event. I’m sure there was a lot of stress involved for various reasons, but I’m so, so grateful for trusting and supporting me like this. The same goes for everyone sending messages even now—I’m so, so thankful. I just hope everything turns out well. If only we could resolve that one thing, everything would be fine. Why can't it happen? Anyway, thank you.