fromis_9 member Jiheon is stirring controversy with a clear shade at HYBE over the group’s name rights.
Earlier this year, fromis_9 left HYBE and Pledis Entertainment. Only five members signed with new management to continue the group. Fans accused HYBE of blocking them from keeping the “fromis_9” name.
Netizens were thrilled when fromis_9 officially secured their group name despite the drama.
On June 24, fromis_9 appeared on K Star Next Door to discuss their lineup changes — down from nine members, briefly eight, now five (four on the show due to illness).
They emphasized, “We are still fromis_9.”
When host Jonathan mentioned the group’s agreement to keep the name was “smooth,” Jiheon instantly questioned the claim, asking,
“Are you sure it was smooth?”
The other members quickly backtracked, praising their former agency and saying,
“Our previous agency was nice enough to care about us. We also made a lot of effort. So thankfully, we were able to keep our name.”
Fans blew up over Jiheon’s remark, calling it a direct shade at HYBE.
Tweets reacting include:
“Jiheon almost threw hands when her unnies said the process of acquiring the fromis_9 name from their previous company was smooth” — @xromsaeyaaa
“‘It’s not easy to keep the name (fromis_9)’
‘We had a smooth agreement’
‘Are you sure it was smooth?’
‘We had to keep it’
‘It (keeping fromis_9) reflects our determination’
OH MY FROMIS ” — @lesbiheon“Jiheon asking if they’re sure the fromis_9 name transfer was a smooth agreement and the rest of them saying ‘let’s say it was, let’s not shed any blood or get our hands dirty’ oh pledis…” — @fromisloopz
“fromis_9 throws shade at a certain company:
‘Are you sure [the agreement to get the group name] was smooth? Let’s say it was. [We got it] through a smooth agreement. Let’s not shed any blood. Let’s not get our hands dirty.’” — @fromisbase
Watch the full interview here. The situation is gaining traction as fans dissect every word around the name battle.
