Since May 2024, ADOR’s now former CEO Min Hee Jin has been in a legal battle with HYBE Labels, and NewJeans is caught in the middle.
After HYBE Labels filed an audit that claimed Min Hee Jin was working behind the scenes to usurp control of ADOR, the two parties have been fighting back and forth over what will happen with the agency and their artist, NewJeans. While the group has been promoting despite the legal issues the company is facing, things have taken a turn after the group held a livestream to air their honest thoughts on the situation.
NewJeans holds livestream to announce support for ADOR and Min Hee Jin
While the group has been hinting at their loyalty to Min Hee Jin with subtle posts and shoutouts in award show speeches, they have finally gotten candid about their thoughts on the matter in a guerrilla livestream held on September 11.
The livestream was held on a now-deleted YouTube channel named “nwjeans.” The link was shared to fans on X, though the tweet has since been deleted. During the 30-minute stream, the girls candidly spoke about the anxieties they are experiencing over their careers, worries about continuing to work under HYBE, and personal stories that occurred amid the legal battle.
They apologized to fans for the “sudden meeting” and revealed that staff members they trusted helped them set up the sudden stream. Haerin was the first one to speak up, revealing the shock they experienced when their pre-debut trainee videos and private medical records were leaked online. She revealed that despite the members and their parents bringing up their privacy concerns to HYBE, they were ignored.
Hanni revealed that amid the tension between ADOR and HYBE, she was in the building to get her hair and makeup done for her schedules. She bumped into an unnamed HYBE group with their manager. Though they exchanged greetings, the group’s manager allegedly told the other group to ignore her. Hanni claims she informed the new CEO of ADOR, Kim Yoo Jung, of the matter but was informed that nothing could be done as there was no proof.
The group then expressed concern for how they would function in the future. ADOR is currently in a legal battle with Shin Woo Seok, who worked with NewJeans for their “Ditto” and “ETA” music videos. ADOR took legal action because the director had shared a “director’s cut” version of NewJeans’s music videos and other content on his personal YouTube account. However, Shin Woo Seok states he had permission to do so. Due to the conflict, the director has stated he no longer wants to work with ADOR. The YouTube channel made for fans named “Ban Heesoo” was deactivated as a result but has since been reinstated.
Additionally, a new management system has been put in place that separates production from management, meaning Min Hee Jin will only be involved in the group’s management strategy. They claimed that this new way of management disrupts the formula that made NewJeans successful, and the factors that used to work together in harmony are now being seen as two distinctly different areas of work.
The group demands HYBE re-instate Min Hee Jin as CEO of ADOR by September 25. They claimed that they were only informed she was being ousted as CEO through news articles, which made it clear the company has no respect for them. The girls believe Min Hee Jin is integral to the identity of NewJeans, as she created the group’s distinct color and tone.
BTS Jungkook shows support for NewJeans
Following the livestream, BTS’s Jungkook took to the Instagram account he made for his dog, Bam, to showcase his support for NewJeans. In the post, he shared a photo of Bam alongside the caption “Artists are not guilty.” The caption included five heart emojis featuring the representative colors of each NewJeans member and a flexed bicep emoji.
Hours later, he shared another post of Bam with the caption “Don’t use them.”
Initially, fans believed Jungkook was hacked, but HYBE Labels confirmed Jungkook himself wrote the post.
Published: Sep 17, 2024 12:58 pm