Fans are afraid NewJeans’ end is drawing near.
Since early this year, NewJeans has been in a massive feud with their agency, ADOR, and its mother company, HYBE. The feud started when HYBE filed an audit against ADOR’s then-CEO Min Hee Jin, who accused her of usurping total control of the agency. Min Hee Jin has denied these claims vehemently and accused HYBE of sabotaging NewJeans. Min Hee Jin was removed from her position as CEO and was replaced by Kim Yoo Jung.
Since then, NewJeans has continued to promote but has been vocal about their support for Min Hee Jin. They have also called out HYBE and ADOR for their mistreatment, and it appears the members of NewJeans (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein) finally had enough.
Will NewJeans disband?
While it’s not confirmed if NewJeans will disband or not, there’s some indication they might break up in the future. On November 13, it was revealed the members of NewJeans served ADOR with a legal certificate threatening the termination of their contract. The girl group submitted a certificate of contents, which is often used to notify a company of contract terminations or for claims of monetary damages.
In the certificate, they stated that if ADOR does not rectify the violations of their exclusive contract, NewJeans will terminate their exclusive contract with the agency. They expressed their desire to see action taken. Additionally, the members mentioned they will be taking action against malicious comments made against their families.
Following the announcement, the members took to social media to reassure their fans, the Bunnies. The members showed their love and appreciation for the fans, as well as their solidarity as artists and fandom. As it is college entrance exam season in South Korea, NewJeans asked fans not to worry about them and to stay strong for the exams.
NewJeans has had past conflicts with ADOR and HYBE
This is not the first time NewJeans have spoken out against ADOR’s new management. During a surprise live stream in September, Hanni revealed she reported a case of workplace bullying to her CEO, who told her that nothing could be done because there was no proof. Haerin recalled how videos during their trainee days had been leaked, which breached their privacy. The members also expressed concern for their future work after ADOR became embroiled in a legal battle with director Shin Woo Seok, who worked closely with NewJeans for their music videos.
At the time, they demanded ADOR re-instate Min Hee Jin as their CEO, but the demand fell on deaf ears.
In October, Hanni attended the National Assembly to testify over workplace harassment. She recalled how, amid the conflict between ADOR and HYBE, she has bumped into another group under the label. While the artists politely greeted each other, the group’s manager supposedly told them to ignore Hanni. It was revealed the group in question was ILLIT.
Hanni revealed she came forward because she doesn’t “want anyone else in the industry—whether they are seniors, juniors, peers, or trainees—to go through the same thing.” She recalled how ADOR CEO Kim claimed there was no evidence despite CCTV footage, which was supposedly deleted. Kim claims she believes Hanni, but no evidence remains of the encounter.
Hanni also spoke about the hostile work environment NewJeans experienced within HYBE, noting how employees used the app Blind to criticize the girl group. She also spoke about how HYBE’s PR time tried to downplay their successful Japanese debut.
As of this writing, NewsJeans remains under ADOR and HYBE, so they have not broken up. However, it’s possible they might.