Recently, members of NewJeans have taken a strong stance against their agency, ADOR, causing a stir in the industry. NewJeans has sent a notice stating that they will terminate their exclusive contract if several rectifications, including the return of former ADOR CEO Min HeeJin, are not addressed.
Members Kim MinJi, Hanni Pham, Marsh Danielle, Kang HaeRin, and Lee HyeIn have formalized these demands using their real names. They urged the agency, “to rectify all significant breaches of the exclusive contract within 14 days of receiving this letter.” This is in response to HYBE’s decision, as revealed in internal documents, to abandon NewJeans and devise new plans, demanding all necessary actions be taken as their management company.
In particular, they insisted that former CEO Min HeeJin should resume her role in managing ADOR and producing for NewJeans, expressing a desire to return to the time when they enjoyed their activities after signing the exclusive contract until March 2024. They also highlighted the spread of baseless rumors related to NewJeans and declared they would respond strongly to those spreading such rumors.
NewJeans had already requested the return of former CEO Min HeeJin in September, but ADOR did not comply. The Seoul Central District Court recently dismissed the application for a provisional injunction regarding Min HeeJin’s appointment as ADOR’s CEO.
This incident is causing significant ripples in the K-POP industry, and there is considerable attention on NewJeans’ future actions. Observers are keen to see how this situation unfolds and what outcomes the members’ demands will bring.