At an urgent press conference held at 8:30 PM (KST) on November 28, 2024, NewJeans shared their decision to sever ties with ADOR, citing the agency’s failure to address their grievances within the stipulated timeline.
Hanni clarified, “The YouTube live session in September and the correction demands we sent two weeks ago were decided upon and carried out by all five members. The reason for this urgent press conference is that the correction demand deadline ends at midnight tonight, yet HYBE and ADOR have shown no intention of improving or addressing our concerns, even as business hours have ended.”
She continued, “We have an overseas schedule tomorrow morning in Japan and will return next week. We were concerned about potential media manipulation from HYBE and ADOR and wanted to present our stance clearly, so we discussed extensively among ourselves and decided to hold this press conference.”
The female idol then explained the group’s departure, stating, “The reason we’re leaving ADOR is simple. ADOR, as our agency, is obligated to protect NewJeans, but it lacks both the will and ability to do so. Staying with ADOR would only waste our time and prolong our mental suffering. Moreover, there’s no professional benefit to remaining with ADOR.”
Meanwhile, Minji added, “As such, our exclusive contract with ADOR will be terminated at midnight tonight. However, HYBE and ADOR are attempting to deflect responsibility by claiming that any faults lie with HYBE, not ADOR. But as everyone knows, HYBE and ADOR are essentially one entity. ADOR has changed significantly; key directors were suddenly dismissed, and the directors and producers who worked closely with us were also removed, replaced to suit HYBE’s preferences. Maintaining a contract under these circumstances is unacceptable.”
Minji further elaborated, “Although we issued correction demands, the deadline ends at midnight, and all we’ve received is a reluctant statement and performative emails. None of our concerns were addressed. Despite repeated requests through live sessions and the correction notice, it’s become clear they have no intention of resolving the issues, and their insincere attitude has exhausted us.”
Despite terminating their contract, NewJeans assured fans that they would honor their existing schedules and advertising commitments.
Meanwhile, NewJeans also insisted that they won’t be paying the contract termination penalty, which is estimated to be as high as 400 million USD.
They even added that they have “nothing to say” to Bang Si-hyuk, and would like to continue working with Min Hee-jin.
Previously on November 13, the members—using their legal names—sent a formal notice to ADOR, which criticized ADOR for failing to protect them and demanded resolutions to several issues.
While ADOR reportedly acknowledged receipt of the notice on November 14 and stated its intention to resolve matters wisely, the lack of substantial action prompted NewJeans to hold the press conference, signaling ADOR’s effective refusal to comply.
The departure of Min Hee-jin from ADOR on November 20 further dashed hopes of her reinstatement, a demand central to NewJeans’ correction notice. The entertainment industry has since been closely monitoring the group’s next steps.
Earlier, at the Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA) on November 16, NewJeans drew attention with their remarks, one of which stating, “NewJeans never dies”.
Source: Nate
