K-pop girl group NewJeans announced their abrupt departure from ADOR, a subsidiary of the HYBE label during a press conference on Thursday night.
The group’s split from their agency is a result of the long-running conflict between the former CEO of ADOR, Min Hee-jin, and HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk.
In early November, NewJeans sent a certification of contents to ADOR and demanded that the label rectify all significant breaches in their contracts. If the group’s demands for rectification are not met, they will terminate their exclusive contracts, NewJeans said.
On Thursday, members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein held an emergency press conference explaining the recent developments and their standing on the issue.
According to the members, the certification they sent weeks prior, will expire the same day. However, both their label and company are not “showing any will to make reform or listen” to their requests. Due to the uncertainty of their positions right now, they felt that holding an emergency press conference would allow them to express their thoughts accurately.
“The reason we are leaving ADOR is very simple, and I think the reporters here who know our situation are also all very aware. NewJeans is an artist of ADOR, and ADOR is obligated to protect NewJeans. It is the most basic obligation that an agency has,” the group’s statement said, in a translation by Soompi.
“ADOR does not have the will or ability to protect NewJeans. If we remain here, it will be a waste of our time, and our mental distress will continue. More than anything, there is nothing that we can gain in terms of our work, so the five of us think that there is no reason at all for us to remain at ADOR,” it added.
The group announced that their exclusive contracts will be terminated on Friday, November 29 at midnight. NewJeans said that ADOR and HYBE are practically just one entity now; adding that the label they worked with has changed a lot since.
Moreover, the group said that they may not be able to use their current name after their contract’s termination. However, they assured the public that their sentiments would not change and had no thoughts of giving up their name.
“To some people, NewJeans may just feel like a name or a trademark issue, but it is not that simple to us,” the group said.
“It is a name that contains the meaning of everything we have achieved from the first day that the five of us met until now, so we will continue to work to secure the rights to the name NewJeans,” they added.
News about the label dispute between ADOR and HYBE made headlines in South Korea when it first broke out.
