Days after Min Hee Jin resigned from her position as CEO of ADOR, effective November 20, all the members of NewJeans announced their abrupt departure from the agency and its parent company, HYBE. In an emergency press conference held on the evening of November 28 at 8:30 PM, all five members, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein—attended, sharing details of the situation.
However, in response to the conference, ADOR issued an official statement saying that NewJeans has no grounds to announce their terminations and that the agency still wants the group to continue working together.”
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ADOR issues statement on NewJeans contract termination report
In their statement, ADOR expressed regret over the press conference that was held without proper review or agreement on the details, while claiming, that NewJeans had no valid reason to announce the end of their contracts. The HYBE’s subsidiary agency which manages the quintet, also stated that they had not broken the terms of the contract and that the claim of trust being broken was not a legitimate reason to end it.
“We regret that a press conference to announce the termination of the exclusive contract was planned and conducted even before receiving a response to the certification of contents and without sufficient review. ADOR, as a part of the exclusive contracts, has not violated the contracts, and claiming that trust has been unilaterally broken does not constitute grounds for termination,” the agency said in a statement rolled out on November 28.
They confirmed that the contracts with NewJeans are still in effect and expect the group to continue their activities as planned. The agency further mentioned that they had tried to arrange meetings with the members but were unsuccessful, and they hope to have open and honest discussions going forward. “We hope that even now, we can open our hearts and have sincere conversations together. ADOR will do our best to support NewJeans in their activities and help them grow further as global artists.”
NewJeans officially exits ADOR
Following a long-standing feud between Hybe’s Bang Si Hyuk and ADOR’s former CEO Min Hee Jin, NewJeans, the breakout girl group in the spotlight of drama, has decided to part ways with both ADOR and HYBE. The group cited a breach of contract by the agencies as the reason for their departure.
The Billboard performers formally notified the agencies of their intent to terminate their contracts on November 13 in a YouTube video, setting a 14-day deadline for the agencies to rectify specific issues, including the return of former CEO Min Hee Jin. The group accused the agencies of using technicalities to evade responsibility, despite their close ties. This is not the first time NewJeans has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with their treatment by the agencies, alleging unfair practices and a lack of support.
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The group earlier, sent a legal notice to HYBE, outlining five demands that must be met by November 27, or they will proceed with terminating their contract with ADOR. The demands include an “apology for bullying allegations against a protocol manager, removal of photos/videos used without consent, resolution of damages related to chart manipulation, and addressing a dispute with a director they worked with.” After the deadline for their demands passed, the group held a press conference to address the situation and announce their next steps.
The group explained, “The reason we are leaving ADOR is very simple,” adding, “ADOR neither has the will nor the ability to protect NewJeans.”