According to the certified letter response revealed on Nov 29th, ADOR stated that it would be difficult to reinstate former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to her position as requested by the members.
In the certified letter response sent under the name of current CEO Kim Joo-young, ADOR stated, “We have determined that it would be difficult for former director Min Hee-jin to return as CEO under the current circumstances.” The agency further explained that the exclusive contract was an agreement between ADOR and the members, and the retention of any specific individual as CEO was not part of the contract terms.
ADOR emphasized that they have faithfully carried out their responsibilities under the exclusive contract, including arranging and negotiating entertainment activities, providing support, receiving payments and offering settlement materials. ADOR added, “From a strictly legal standpoint, it is questionable whether ADOR has committed any violations severe enough to warrant contract termination or whether the artists’ current demands qualify as ‘rectification requests premised on contract termination’ as claimed by the artists.”
ADOR also disclosed HYBE’s position regarding the term “New-I-LE”, which appeared in HYBE’s music industry report. The report, made public during the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee audit, included the phrase “New-I-LE” along with the statement “It’s a matter of ditching the ‘New’ and starting fresh“, which had been interpreted as HYBE intending to abandon NewJeans while focusing on ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM.
ADOR clarified, “The ‘I’ in ‘New-I-LE’ does not refer to ILLIT but to IVE.”
ADOR explained that the report was drafted around May 2023, prior to the airing of the public audition program “R U Next?” that decided ILLIT’s debut lineup. ADOR stated, “The ‘I’ in ‘New-I-LE’ could not possibly refer to ILLIT.” They further elaborated, “The phrase ‘ditching the New’ signifies an effort to move beyond the constant categorization that compares LE SSERAFIM to NewJeans, who have already achieved significant success, allowing LE SSERAFIM to establish their own unique domain. It does not imply HYBE intends to abandon any artist.” At the time, some media outlets and online communities grouped NewJeans, IVE and LE SSERAFIM together as leading fourth-generation girl groups under the term “New-I-LE”. The report’s phrasing was intended to address LE SSERAFIM’s comparatively lower rankings on music charts among the three groups and propose strategies for improvement.
NewJeans held an emergency press conference in Gangnam, Seoul the day before, declaring that they would terminate their exclusive contract with ADOR effective midnight on Nov 29th.
In response to the press conference, ADOR issued a statement, saying, “ADOR, as the exclusive contract party, has not violated the contract. Claims of broken trust alone do not constitute valid grounds for termination. The exclusive contract between ADOR and NewJeans members remains valid.“
ADOR also expressed regret over the situation, stating, “It is unfortunate that the members planned and held a press conference before receiving our response to the certified letter. We sincerely hope they will open their hearts and engage in honest discussions with us.”
Source: Naver
