Lee Jin Ho has rejected accusations against him with new claims about the ongoing battle between Min Hee Jin and HYBE.

The YouTube reporter came under fire for sharing private KakaoTalk chat messages between Min Hee Jin and the co-CEO of ADOR, which contained derogatory comments about NewJeans members and female employees. Netizens also accused Lee Jin Ho of siding with HYBE, suggesting he shared a friendship with the Vice President of Big Hit Music (now under HYBE Labels).

In the livestream above held on the night of May 19 KST, Lee Jin Ho refuted these claims and firmly presented his perspective. Here are several key statements he made during the livestream:

1. Lee Jin Ho claimed he has not met or contacted the former vice president of HYBE since the rise of BTS's fame, which was "over 10 years ago." He said they only met two or three times in the past to discuss BTS's early challenges as rookies. Lee Jin Ho also affirmed that this figure whom he was friends with no longer works at HYBE.

2. Lee Jin Ho reaffirmed that Min Hee Jin's message containing derogatory comments about body weight and offensive curse words was indeed directed at a member of NewJeans. He stated that he censored the member's name out of sympathy, because he "felt sorry for her." He also argued that netizens "shouldn't bring in other idols by wrongly assuming that this insult was directed at a non-NewJeans member."

3. He argued that some of Min Hee Jin's claims about ADOR being 'badly treated' by HYBE have inconsistencies. As an example, he mentioned the exclusive fan communication service Phoning for NewJeans, which required substantial HYBE investment. He questioned why HYBE would invest in a separate platform for rookies if their intention was to outcast NewJeans.

4. Lee Jin Ho revealed a new set of KakaoTalk messages in which Min Hee Jin asked her vice president of ADOR about the cost of NewJeans contracts. In the chat, Min Hee Jin allegedly reacted to the cost of ending their contracts with HYBE with surprise, stating, "What? NewJeans? It's pretty cheap?" before learning that the actual cost was "between about 420 and 620 billion won per member." The vice president suggested that HYBE would not let them go, however, due to the significant financial loss they would experience from losing the rights to NewJeans' past albums and endorsement contracts reliant on ADOR.

During the livestream, Lee Jin Ho argued that it "was not unusual for HYBE to want to confiscate their PCs and chat logs and conduct an audit," given the "suspicions" exhibited by Min Hee Jin's side.

At the same time, Lee Jin Ho repeatedly claimed that he is not on HYBE's side. He expressed willingness for HYBE to reveal all their KakaoTalk messages for Min Hee Jin's benefit, as long as he can "exclusively report on it." 

"I don't care if HYBE goes downhill. What's it to me?" said Lee Jin Ho during the livestream.

Meanwhile, some netizens in the comments section showed support for the YouTuber, while others remained cautious, questioning how he could have accessed these KakaoTalk conversations without an insider friend at HYBE.

What are your thoughts?

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