Emergency Press Conference Reveals Key Issues

NewJeans, one of the most prominent K-pop groups, held an emergency press conference on November 28, 2024, to address their grievances with their agency, ADOR, and its parent company, HYBE. The group disclosed ADOR’s official response to a certification of contents they sent on November 13, accusing the agency of failing to meet their demands within the 14-day validity period. This conflict ultimately led to their decision to terminate their contract with ADOR on November 29, 2024.

The certification of contents outlined several specific demands, which the group insisted were necessary to protect their interests and identity. These included a request for the reinstatement of Min Hee Jin as CEO, addressing inappropriate behavior by staff, resolving disputes with creative collaborators, and taking measures to preserve their creative identity.

Key Demands and ADOR’s Responses

The 26-page legal document sent by NewJeans to ADOR highlighted the following demands:

• Reinstating Min Hee Jin as the CEO.
• An official apology from a protocol manager at BELIFT LAB for inappropriate remarks about Hanni, instructing ILLIT to “Ignore her.”
• Identifying and addressing the employee responsible for suggesting that the group should be “discarded,” as per a music industry report.
• Taking action against a HYBE PR staff member for making inappropriate comments.
• Deleting unauthorized videos and photos of NewJeans used without their consent.
• Resolving claims of an “album push out” that negatively impacted the group.
• Addressing a dispute with Shin Woo Seok of Dolphiners Films, including the removal of their existing projects from his YouTube channel.
• Ensuring the preservation of NewJeans’ unique identity and creative works.

In response, ADOR provided their stance on each issue, which the group publicly criticized as insufficient and dismissive. Highlights of ADOR’s response included:

• Reinstating Min Hee Jin as CEO was deemed “not possible” at the time.
• Attempts to meet with the BELIFT LAB protocol manager were blocked by BELIFT LAB.
• Clarification that the term “discard new” referred to separating NewJeans’ image from groups like LE SSERAFIM and IVE and was not intended as a directive to undermine the group.
• Assurance that the HYBE PR manager’s actions were being investigated to prevent future incidents.
• Acknowledgment of the issue of unauthorized content usage, though ADOR claimed they were not responsible for the distribution.
• Denial of the “album push out” accusations as baseless.
• Indication that the dispute with Director Shin Woo Seok revolved solely around the release of the ETA director’s cut.
• Support for reappointing Min Hee Jin as an internal director to preserve NewJeans’ creative vision.

ADOR also expressed a desire to engage in further discussions with NewJeans to resolve their concerns.

NewJeans Declares Contract Termination

Despite ADOR’s efforts to justify their actions, NewJeans criticized the response as “insincere and performative,” emphasizing that the agency had failed to adequately address their concerns. The group stated they have no intention of meeting with ADOR again and have officially terminated their contract.

This conflict highlights ongoing issues between K-pop artists and their agencies, with fans and industry professionals watching closely as the situation unfolds.

For more updates on NewJeans, tune in to Vviptimes.

Credits: ET News