On April 8, recent reports about one of the NewJeans members’ parents opposing a lawsuit against ADOR regarding the termination of their exclusive contract initially suggested that Haerin’s mother was involved. However, further investigation revealed that it was not Haerin, but Hyein’s father who opposed the lawsuit.
The controversy began following a report by Chosun Ilbo, which stated that during the first hearing on April 3rd at the Seoul Central District Court, the judge asked NewJeans’ side if the lawsuit had been approved by the parents of the minor members. Chosun Ilbo speculated that this indicated a disagreement between the parents of the minor members—Hyein and Haerin—regarding the lawsuit.
Chosun Ilbo later noted that during a previous court hearing on March 7th, the court had pointed out a discrepancy in the representatives’ authority, implying that the parents’ disagreement had led to a civil lawsuit over the legal guardianship. This raised questions about which parent had opposed the contract termination.
Online speculation quickly suggested that “Defendant 4” in the lawsuit was Haerin, based on the fact that the only NewJeans member with the surname “Kang” is Haerin. Furthermore, the court records showed that only Haerin’s father was listed as the legal representative, leading to speculation that Haerin’s mother might be the one opposing the lawsuit.
However, New Daily’s investigation clarified that it was actually Hyein’s father, Mr. A, who opposed the contract termination lawsuit. Hyein’s family had initially been on the same page as the other NewJeans members and their families when they notified ADOR of their intent to terminate the contract in November 2023. However, for reasons not fully clear, Mr. A later changed his stance, opposing the lawsuit. This led to a legal battle with his wife, Ms. B, over legal guardianship, culminating in a court ruling in favor of Ms. B on March 14th, 2024. As a result, Ms. B is now Hyein’s sole legal representative in the ongoing lawsuit.
NewJeans, which has been pursuing a contract termination with ADOR since November 2023, continues to deal with legal disputes surrounding their exclusive contracts.
K-netizens’ Reactions:
“When I think back to my teens and early twenties, I can’t help but cringe at the mistakes I made. But to be making such a big decision at that age… It’s really sad to see it turn out this way.”
“If her father values her so much to the point of removing his parental rights, shouldn’t the penalty also be shared by the mother and Hyein?”
“This was first revealed through an official notice from New Jeans’ parents, not by someone else!!! The judge in the case asked if the parents were excluded, and since it was a public trial, it was covered by the media. This info is all available on the court’s website if you look it up. Haerin might have speculated, but it was the parents who clarified it, saying it wasn’t Haerin, but Hyein.”
“Even the parent group seems to follow the majority opinion—if you don’t, you get excluded like in Bunnies.”
“How did all 10 of them end up on the same page? But still, there are some people who don’t agree, I guess.”
“Wasn’t it Hyein who posted ‘stop copying’ on Instagram on the day I-Land debuted? It seems like she didn’t even have a thought about it, but she’s still feeling bad about the situation.”
“To be honest, the whole situation reminds me of how much pressure both families and fans put on these kids. It’s almost impossible for them to make the right decision when they’re constantly under so much scrutiny.”
“There have been some incredibly inappropriate remarks about their families because of this issue. As the media started focusing on the two minors, people began to speculate it was Haerin, and PR accounts have clarified the false parts. But the people who were spreading hate even attacked and mocked the PR accounts, calling them liars. There was talk about court documents, and people were debating whether it was Haerin or Hyein. They were wondering why Hyein is being attacked so badly. But since the article mentioned two minors, this was an unavoidable situation. People were just looking for an excuse to criticize.”
“Hyein is so young that even if she re-debuts in a few years, she’s still going to be really young. It’s such a waste and so heartbreaking.”
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