K-netz Slam NewJeans's Album Strategy — Is Min Hee Jin to Blame?

Recently, K-pop sensation NewJeans sparked controversy among K-netizens with their promotional events for the Japanese release of their album ‘Supernatural’. This comes in direct contrast to previous statements made by Min Hee-jin, the group’s creative director, regarding album sales strategies.

A post on Pann Nate ignited the debate, highlighting discrepancies between Min Hee-jin’s public statements and NewJeans’s promotional tactics.

The post, titled “Isn’t Min Hee-jin and NewJeans funny?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”, criticized the group for incentivizing album purchases with special items, despite Min Hee-jin’s earlier stance against such tactics.

NewJeans (Photo : pann.nate)

Netizens divided into two camps: one critical of NewJeans for contradicting Min Hee-jin’s stance and another defending the group’s promotional efforts.

“In the first place, the problem was multiple unused album purchases due to excessive photocards. This time, they’re trying to give benefits to those who buy the album quickly by giving one special item per version. There would be no multiple purchase issues. So what’s wrong?” – Netizen defending NewJeans.

“Min Hee-jin didn’t do random photocards or lucky draws. NewJeans gives photocards according to the member version. What are you trying to fool people?” – Another netizen questioning the integrity of NewJeans’s approach.

Critics accused Min Hee-jin of applying double standards in her management approach:

Min Hee Jin (Photo : pann.nate)

“At the press conference, she said she would not push album sales using random photocards… What are you talking about?” – Netizen pointing out perceived hypocrisy.

The controversy underscores ongoing debates within the K-pop industry regarding ethical album promotion strategies.

Meanwhile, The Japanese debut of NewJeans with their single “Supernatural” has sparked mixed reactions, primarily due to its unconventional use of multiple languages in the lyrics-English (65%), Korean, and a minimal amount of Japanese.

While the group aims to appeal to a broad international audience, this approach has raised concerns about its effectiveness in catering specifically to Japanese listeners.

Despite these challenges, the release has seen success on streaming platforms in both Japan and South Korea, though it marks a slight decline in domestic popularity compared to previous releases. The group’s strategic move into the Japanese market reflects their ambition to expand their global presence amidst the competitive K-pop industry landscape.