It has been confirmed that Jang Hyung Woo, the reporter who released recordings claiming that "HYBE is undermining NewJeans' success," is no longer an active journalist and has already left his position at Seoul Shinmun.
On September 26, Jang Hyung Woo told 'Money Today' in a phone call, "I have resigned from Seoul Shinmun," while clarifying that "my employment at Kakao Mobility is not yet finalized." Kakao Mobility also stated that no official decision regarding his employment had been made.
When questioned about accusations of violating journalistic ethics by sharing the recordings from HYBE with a party involved in the dispute, Jang clarified, "I did not give the recordings directly to Min Hee Jin."
He also denied rumors that he was personally close to Min Hee Jin, stating, "We do not know each other." He claimed that a mutual acquaintance might have passed the recordings to her.
The fact that Jang Hyung Woo is no longer an active reporter for 'Seoul Shinmun' came to light through a video released on September 25 by the YouTuber Lee Jin Ho when he released a video titled "An Active Journalist's Lie... HYBE's Recovery Plan."
In the video, Lee Jin Ho stated, "On September 25, the D-Day set by NewJeans members, a significant exposé was released," introducing Jang Hyung Woo's interview with 'Kim Hyun Jung’s News Show' on CBS, where he presented himself as an active journalist.
That same morning, Jang appeared on 'Kim Hyun Jung’s News Show,' alleging that HYBE had intentionally downplayed the sales of NewJeans' Japan debut album. He revealed a recorded conversation with HYBE’s PR team, where they corrected his claim that the album sold 1.02 million copies, explaining that only around 38,000 to 50,000 copies were sold in Japan, while over 900,000 were sold in Korea.
During the interview, Jang said, "I found it hard to understand why HYBE would distort and downplay NewJeans' achievements in Japan," explaining that after watching the NewJeans members' video on August 11, he felt they were being mistreated, which motivated him to speak out.
However, Lee Jin Ho criticized Jang’s actions, pointing out, "When journalists realize an error, they usually admit and correct it. But instead, this reporter seemed to imply that even if it wasn’t true, it could have been exaggerated for HYBE’s benefit, which is strange."
Lee Jin Ho also noted that if Jang’s article had been published as originally written, it could have prompted a backlash from Japanese readers, who might question the accuracy of the sales figures, saying, "That many albums didn’t sell in Japan."
Lee Jin Ho further claimed that Jang’s statement about deciding to expose HYBE after watching NewJeans' live broadcast in September was a lie. He explained that Min Hee Jin had already confronted HYBE with the same recording from Jang during a meeting on July 22, just five days after the recording was made on July 17.
When HYBE asked Min Hee Jin how she obtained the recording, she reportedly replied, "I received it from a reporter."
Lee Jin Ho criticized Jang for a serious breach of journalistic ethics, stating, "A journalist is supposed to listen to both sides and report objectively. But in this case, Jang took information from one side and handed it over to the other party in the dispute. And he did this especially with someone directly involved in the conflict? This is unheard of, and it sets a terrible precedent for future journalists."
Lee also pointed out that the title of "active journalist" was misleading, as Jang had resigned from 'Seoul Shinmun' a week earlier and was expected to join Kakao Mobility. "While discussions with Kakao were ongoing, it’s typical for Kakao to sign employment contracts on the first day of work," Lee added.
Additionally, Lee mentioned that NewJeans member Minji visited the "Munch Exhibition," which was co-hosted by 'Seoul Shinmun' and KBS Media. He noted that idols rarely attend exhibitions due to public scrutiny.
Following the release of Lee Jin Ho's YouTube video, 'Kim Hyun Jung’s News Show' changed the title of Jang Hyung Woo’s segment from "An Active Journalist’s Exposé" to "A Former Journalist’s Exposé."
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