NewJeans have changed their social media handles once again, no longer reflecting their February change to NJZ.
This follows an injunction issued by the Seoul Central District Court on March 21 barring the K-pop girl group from pursuing independent activities amid their ongoing legal battle against their label Ador, a sub-label under Hybe, to terminate their exclusive contract.
The court upheld a request from Ador to continue managing the group and has prohibited them from engaging in commercial activities without their consent.
Their former NJZ_official Instagram account now has the username mhdhh_friends, seemingly reflecting the first initial of the members’ names: Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. The change was reportedly made on April 4.
The username of the account run by the members’ parents has also been changed to Mhdhh_pr. As of writing, the profile pictures for both accounts are blank with all posts being deleted.
A recent article by Chosun Biz suggested an internal rift between the parents of either Hyein or Haerin — the two underage members. The former will turn 17 on April 21 while the latter is 18.
They reported that one parent allegedly agrees to the termination of their exclusive contract with Ador while the other doesn’t. They added that joint parental authority is typically required for minors, but that court proceedings on April 3 suggested that the parent who did not agree was overruled.
However, the parents hit back against the report in a statement posted on Instagram Story on April 4 saying claims of division among the members’ parents are untrue.
They added that rumours of the family in disagreement being Haerin’s were false and that she and her parents remain aligned in their views.
“The matter of adjusting parental authority out of respect for the minor’s wishes pertains to a different member. That family, too, has made a clear and united decision between mother and child,” they added.
They continued: “As parents, we cannot send our children back to a company that exploits a member’s family affairs for media manipulation,” adding that trust should be the foundation of any relationship.
However, they wrote that neither Hybe nor Ador have “shown [the families] any reason to trust them”.
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drimac@asiaone.com