Amid the Min Hee-jin-HYBE feud, speculation regarding the agency’s relation to pseudo-religion meditation group “Dahn World” has gained immense traction. The center of suspicion lies on evidence from girlgroup NewJeans’ “OMG” music video, which is believed to have showcased several instances of Dahn World symbolism.
Theorists hypothesize that the “OMG” music video by New Jeans serves as a satirical critique of HYBE’s devotion to Dahn World, showcasing Min Hee-jin’s covert defiance against HYBE’s insistence of incorporating Dahn World themes into NewJeans’ songs.
Fans believe the worn-out, ragged teddy bear that constantly appears throughout the music video is a representation of the Dahn God. Furthermore, in the scene where Hyein rides the subway, the station name reads “신도”, which means “god” in Korean, instead of revealing the entire location name which is “신도림”.
What shocked fans the most is Hanni’s commentary at the beginning of the music video, where she mispronounces the “당” of “당신 [you]” and ultimately makes it sound like “단”, the name of the Dahn World god. This results in a pseudo-like prayer, involving lines such as, “I will only exist for Dahn,” “I will only sing for Dahn,” and “I will go to wherever Dahn calls me.”
“I think at this point it is harder to not believe in the theory,” Minseo Kim (11), NewJeans fan, said. “It goes down to the more general theories as well. For example, ‘단월드 [Dahn World]’ translated into English is ‘Healing Yoga Brain Education,’ and lots of other fans also believe that HYBE may be an abbreviation for these terms.”
To this issue, Dahn World released an official statement denying any affiliation with HYBE and warned that they will be taking legal action against those who spread false allegations. The company also denied that it is a religion, asserting that it is merely a national enterprise commemorating and promoting the founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, Dangun’s founding philosophy behind the country.
Nonetheless, the institution has been widely recognized as a pseudo-religious cult by major Christian associations in Korea for its advertisement of unorthodox beliefs such as people using the power of “life electrons” through mediums of prayer, praise, and meditation.
Fans have also demonstrated apprehension about BTS’ association with HYBE, given that six out of seven BTS members graduated from Global Cyber University, which had been founded by Dahn World creator Lee Sung-heon.
“To be honest, I feel like the BTS-Dahn-World allegations may be a bit of a stretch,” Grace Choi (11), avid entertainment observer, said. “I do believe that there is, to an extent, a possibility that HYBE may be involved in Dahn World promotion. However, I am not too sure about BTS and their connection with Dahn World if the only justification is that they attended Global Cyber University—a university that most K-Pop idols attend to avoid early military enlistment.”
