- The girl group NewJeans convened an emergency press conference for South Korean reporters on the night of November 28th, 2024, where they told reporters that they will terminate their contracts with their agency ADOR Entertainment.
- It was not immediately clear how the members meant to terminate their exclusive contract with ADOR, though according to member Hanni, “ADOR has neither the ability nor the will to act in NewJeans’ best interests.”
- The girl group has been embroiled in a public feud with their agency since the firing of its founder and former CEO Min Hee-jin.
On November 28, 2024 at 8:30 PM KST, the girl group NewJeans held an emergency press conference for reporters before departing to Japan. There, the members began by reasserting their grievances against ADOR and its parent company HYBE, followed by a declaration that they had terminated their contract with ADOR Entertainment, stunning those who were present.
Here are is a quick summary of the presser:
- The members begin the presser by introducing themselves. They are joined by a manager of a PR agency that they had hired.
2. Hanni thanks the reporters for arriving on short notice. She reasserts that the Youtube live broadcast from September and the certified document demanding corrective action sent to ADOR two weeks ago were actions agreed upon after substantial discussions between the five members. “The deadline for our demands ends today,” she says, “but though the deadline approaches, neither ADOR nor HYBE have shown proof of corrections or any intentions to do so.” They opened this press conference, she reveals, because they were afraid of HYBE’s “media manipulation” that might take place in their absence.
3. “To remain [with ADOR] would be a waste of time and a cause of mental distress,” she continues. “We are leaving ADOR for a simple reason. NewJeans is ADOR’s artist, and it is the most basic duty of an agency to protect their artists. But ADOR has neither the will nor ability to act in NewJeans’ best interests.”
4. Minji takes the mic. “As of the 29th, NewJeans’ contract with ADOR is terminated.”
4. Minji: “But HYBE and ADOR continue with their wordplay, insisting that ADOR and HYBE are separate entities. HYBE’s faults are not ADOR’s faults, and therefore there is no grounds for termination of the contract. But as you all know, ADOR and HYBE are basically the same entity.“
5. Minji: “The ADOR we have known until now is so different. The directors who worked there have been suddenly fired. ADOR has been changed to meet HYBE’s tastes. They have cut off the director who worked so diligently with us. With this relationship of broken trust, it is impossible for us to accept ADOR’s claims that the contract has not been been violated.”
6. “Everything they do is for show,” Minji continues, insisting that ADOR has shown no intentions of listening to NewJeans’ demands for corrective action. “There are only four hours left until [the two weeks] is up, but no corrections have taken place. Therefore, we will terminate our contract.”
7. Danielle receives the mic. “[Though we will no longer be a part of ADOR], we will continue on with all of our scheduled activities. We will also continue on with our advertisers.”
7. Haerin receives the mic. “We saw many reports concerning the termination fee, but we have not breached the contract. We have put in our best efforts until now, so we don’t believe we have reason to pay the fee. It was ADOR and HYBE who broke the contract, so the responsibility lies with them.”
8. Hyein: “After today, we may no longer be able to promote under the name “NewJeans” for the time being…We have no intentions of giving up the NewJeans name…We will continue working until we obtain the rights to the NewJeans name.”
9. Hanni continues in English. “We have faced mistreatment not just towards us but also including our staff, countless preventions and contradictions, deliberate miscommunications and manipulation regarding multiple areas. A company that no longer has any sincerity in the art of music that is created, is rather fixated on appearing like a well working company despite only having thoughts about making money, and don’t have any conscience about the negative effects they create through their [inaudible] means. This is not the type of work ethic we respect, nor want to be a part of. And to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm. So that is why the five of us, together, have agreed to leave ADOR. And for us to clearly express ourselves before misleading information is released regarding this, we have chosen to hold an emergency press conference today.“
10. Danielle: “So basically, once we leave ADOR, we will aim to proceed freely with the activities that we really desire, especially with the schedules that have already been arranged. We will try our very best to continue them without any complications. We really wish to be able to release new music for Bunnies next year as soon as possible, whenever, and we really hope that we have the opportunity to meet you guys from all around the world. Lastly, we are well aware that from today we will not be able to use our current name NewJeans, however, that doesn’t mean that we are giving up on the name at all, and we will continue to fight for NewJeans. Regardless of our name, just remember, that NewJeans never dies.“
11. Minji finishes. “I believe that a person’s attitude is the most important. A courageous person can change the world and live more independently…I gained a lot of courage by watching our CEO Min Hee-jin. She always worked the hardest and was surrounded by good people. One of the things she said was that she wanted to set a precedent, and those words inspired me deeply…We hope that one day, whether at school or at work, there will be a world without mistreatment where everyone can respect one another.”
