Previous Allegations of ILLIT Staff Bullying NewJeans Draw Attention
Min Hee Jin is facing fresh controversy as new “evidence” from HYBE staff stirs drama in the ongoing dispute involving NewJeans.
The controversy started with ILLIT’s music video, which fans say subtly targets NewJeans. In the video, ILLIT fights five monsters — each monster is colored with NewJeans members’ official colors. Fans quickly pointed out the strange choice of exactly those five colors, calling it “bullying.”
Fans noted another scene where the NewJeans members eat those monsters. When they win, the screen switches to blue hues and a monster drawing is ripped up.
A viral tweet from February 12 by @love2yuha called out the symbolism:
Never forgetting this shitty ass mv. The gummy bears aka “monsters” having the representative colors of newjeans is literally sickening.
— yuha shady facts (@love2yuha)
Another flashpoint: FRANTS, a HYBE producer who worked on ILLIT’s album, posted a video kicking a bunny toy — a move fans are reading into as a diss, given NewJeans’ Minji’s prior “kalguksu” (noodle) scandal.
what illit’s pd was doing btw
— ׂ (@bytwotolz)
Fans also flagged ILLIT’s track NOT CUTE ANYMORE for referencing “kongguksu” noodles, seen as a jab at Minji since she was linked to “kalguksu.” Fans say BELIFT LAB swapped the noodle names to mock:
It’s so slay of them to use the lyrics ‘limited edition kongguksu LOL. I love how BELIFT LAB changed kalguksu to kongguksu.
Another scene shows Wonhee grabbing and throwing a bunny plushie — which fans think adds to the hidden message.
Grabbing and throwing a bunny + limited edition kongguksu? Someone’s running over from the North Pole rn.
Internet users have weighed in strongly in favor of NewJeans, slamming the art director Serian Heu’s alleged hidden messages and calling out FRANTS for his actions.
| Instiz
Comments on Instiz include:
- “It’s so snakey of the art director to put all these symbolisms in one by one LOL.”
- “FR just apologize.”
- “They’re really just doing it all, huh. Are they psychos?”
- “What’s up with the jellybear eating scene? It’s psychotic of them to include such symbolism LOL.”
- “What’s up with how he’s kicking the merch.”
Serian Heu, who directed the MV, is said to have a history of tension with Min Hee Jin and NewJeans. She’s known for closely analyzing and copying NewJeans’ style — making fans think these choices weren’t accidental.
The situation is heating up as this music video symbolism and related posts feed ongoing friction between Min Hee Jin’s NewJeans team and HYBE’s ILLIT crew. Fans are closely watching for more reactions.