On October 14th, Kim Kyu-yeon, a researcher at the brokerage firm Mirae Asset Securities, released HYBE’s corporate analysis, which included the activity plan for HYBE’s artists in the fourth quarter of the year.
According to the released schedule, BTS, under the sub-label Big Hit Music, is set to release Jin’s solo album and celebrate j-hope’s military discharge in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, TXT is scheduled to release a mini-album in November and hold six concerts.
SEVENTEEN, an artist under the sub-label Pledis Entertainment, released a mini-album today (October 14th). Additionally, Jeonghan’s military enlistment and 21 world tour concerts have been added to their schedule. Interestingly, fromis_9 has no plans for album releases or concerts in the fourth quarter.
Furthermore, ENHYPEN, an artist under the sub-label Belift Lab, is scheduled to release a repackaged album and hold six concerts, while ILLIT is set to release their second mini-album on October 21st. BOYNEXTDOOR of KOZ Entertainment has added two concerts to their schedule, whereas &TEAM has no scheduled activities for the fourth quarter.
Amidst these announcements, it is particularly noteworthy that NewJeans, who had previously announced their goal of releasing an album in the second half of the year, has no schedule in the fourth quarter plan.
Back in March, NewJeans had stated regarding their activity plans, stating, “We are doing our best to present higher quality performances to fans through a new album that we are preparing for the second half of the year, as well as to hold a world tour in 2025.”
However, since April, conflicts between HYBE and ADOR’s former CEO Min Hee-jin have escalated. In August, former CEO Min Hee-jin was dismissed, and Kim Joo-young was appointed as the new CEO. In September, Min Hee-jin revealed regarding NewJeans’ activity plan, “I was dismissed while preparing for a surprise fan meeting for Korean fans,” and added, “The next album production has also been halted,” casting uncertainty over NewJeans’ future activities.
NewJeans last met with fans at a fan meeting in Tokyo Dome in July and is currently on a break. The absence of any scheduled activities for the group in HYBE’s fourth quarter plan has left fans wondering about the group’s immediate future and the impact of the recent management changes on their planned comebacks.