“Chaebol” Idol Trainee Addresses Rumors Of Paying His Way To Debut

Ha Mingi, a trainee at Modenberry Korea, has attracted significant attention since the last few days after he was revealed to be the first member of an upcoming boy group that will debut in 2026. The reason behind this huge public interest was his family background. Mingi was revealed to be the heir of Shinjeon Tteokbokki, South Korea’s representative brand and chain of rice cakes.

Heir To Korea’s Largest Rice Cake Brand To Debut In Boy Group

Since this announcement, speculations about Ha Mingi, his family, and his debut have been rampant. So, in his first public appearance on a YouTube channel called One Mic on October 31, KST, he addressed them all.

Ha Mingi | @원마이크/YouTube

Mingi began by clarifying his relationship to the CEO and founder of Shinjeon Tteokbokki, explaining that he was the nephew of the current CEO. Previously, it was reported that he was the grandson of Ha Seong Ho, the CEO. Due to the age difference between Mingi and Ha Seong Ho, people started questioning how their relationship made any sense. Mingi explained that his grandmother was the founder of the brand, and his uncle was the current CEO. Modenberry Korea also issued a separate statement clarifying that they had made an error in their previous announcement, labeling Ha Seong Ho as both the CEO and the founder, which led to the confusion.

Mingi shared that he had lived with his grandma since he was little, and when he shared his dream to become a K-Pop idol, she had urged him to consider studying instead.

My grandmother told me, ‘Why are you choosing such a difficult path instead of studying? Studying is the easiest thing to do.

— Ha Mingi

However, seeing him chase his passion, she changed her mind eventually. “My grandmother also told me, ‘Always be humble,’” Mingi added.

Mingi acknowledged his wealthy background, stating that he has had a comfortable life at home. However, he also emphasized that his parents tried to give him a grounded life, constantly reminding him that his family background didn’t make him better than anyone else and that he had to work hard for the things he wanted in life.

The soon-to-debut trainee also boldly addressed the claims that his family invested money into the label that he was debuting under. He denied these allegations sternly, adding that he failed many auditions before securing his position under his current label.

People are saying I invested money int the company, but that’s absolutely not trye. I personally applied, had meetings, and auditioned. I’ve never spent money in this industry. The only money I spent was on tuition fees for acting classes. Everything else, I did it on my own. I think I’ve done at least 200 auditions.

— Ha Mingi

In fact, according to Mingi, Modenberry was not even aware of his family background until he was already a trainee under their system. When they became aware, it only made their expectations of him shoot up higher. “I’m practicing hard to live up to those expectations,” Mingi added.

You can watch the full video here: