Last Updated:November 29, 2024, 09:16 IST
NewJeans announced that their exclusive contract with ADOR would officially terminate on November 29 at midnight KST.
NewJeans made their debut in 2022. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
NewJeans announced their departure from their label ADOR following months of escalating tensions between former CEO Min Hee Jin and the parent company HYBE. On Thursday, November 28, the five-member girl group, comprising Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, held an emergency press conference in Samseong-dong, Seoul, to address their concerns regarding their contract with ADOR. They also announced that their exclusive contract with ADOR would officially terminate on November 29 at midnight KST.
At the conference, all the members took turns explaining their current situation and the group’s future. They shared details about how they had sent a letter of certification on November 13, asking ADOR to rectify all significant breaches of the exclusive contract within 14 days. They also mentioned that failure to meet the demands might result in the termination of their contract with the label.
As per a report by Soompi, NewJeans explained the reason behind leaving ADOR at the press conference. They said, “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.”
NewJeans further mentioned that despite expressing their “opinions on several occasions,” ADOR never took a step, and they got tired of their “insincere attitude.” However, despite the termination of the contract at midnight, NewJeans assured me that they would carry out the promised and contracted activities that they had already scheduled. They added, “When our exclusive contracts our terminated, the five of us will no longer be artists of ADOR. Breaking away from ADOR, we plan on freely carrying out the activities that we sincerely want.”
Meanwhile, the five-member K-pop girl group also discussed the penalties for breaching their contract, highlighting that ADOR and HYBE have violated the contract, not vice versa. While concluding, they mentioned that they may not be able to use the name ‘NewJeans’ for the time being and assured their fans the essence of their group wouldn’t change.
On the other hand, NewJeans’ Hanni revealed that they weren’t the only ones to be mistreated by the company; their staff also faced severe mistreatment. She criticised their work ethics, highlighting how the company “no longer has any sincerity in the art of music that is created” and is more inclined towards making money.
She said, “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 we, the five of us together, have agreed to leave ADOR.”