On January 31, the parents of NewJeans members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein created a social media account and stated, “Since we had no official channel to convey our stance, we have made multiple attempts to communicate the facts directly through interviews with various media outlets or through journalists we came to know.“
They continued, “While some media outlets reported our words as they were, they were very few. We also tried distributing statements through an agency, but we faced significant difficulties as headlines were misleadingly written, and our stance was often distorted in print.”
They further revealed, “Ahead of the upcoming injunction lawsuit, we have received reports that HYBE and ADOR are once again spreading misleading articles about the members by circulating ‘rumors’ to multiple journalists. This is why we decided to create this account.”
The parents of NewJeans members emphasized, “As the only representatives of the members at this time, we ask for your understanding that we urgently need a channel to set the record straight.”
On November 28 of last year, NewJeans members held a press conference and announced the termination of their exclusive contract with HYBE and ADOR.
In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit in December to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. Recently, they also filed an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court to prohibit the members from engaging in activities under a new agency and signing advertising contracts.
The NewJeans members have appointed the law firm Sejong to handle their legal response. Additionally, on January 23, they launched a public campaign to select a new group name, stating, “The five of us have no intention of returning to HYBE and ADOR, as we cannot expect even the minimum level of good faith from them.”
Below is full statement from NewJeans members’ parents:
Hello, we are the parents of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein.
This account is being temporarily operated out of necessity to represent our position in the dispute with HYBE.
Since there has been no official channel to convey our stance, we have made multiple attempts to communicate the facts directly through interviews with various media outlets or through journalists we came to know.
While we are grateful to the few media outlets that reported our words accurately, they were in the minority. We also attempted to distribute statements through an agency, but we faced significant challenges as misleading headlines were written, making it difficult for our position to be conveyed without distortion.
The members’ voices have either been misrepresented, framed negatively, or published in only a handful of articles. Meanwhile, HYBE and ADOR have been distributing hundreds of articles daily—many through internet propaganda outlets—without following standard journalistic practices such as fact-checking or allowing the right to respond. These articles predominantly spread false claims or solely reflect HYBE and ADOR’s position.
[Unfortunately, ahead of the upcoming injunction lawsuit, we have received reports that HYBE and ADOR are once again circulating “rumors” among journalists to spread misleading articles targeting the members. This is why we have created this account.
We understand that some may feel exhausted by this prolonged dispute, and we sincerely apologize for any distress caused.
However, this account will primarily be used to communicate information that the members themselves find difficult to address directly. As their sole representatives at this time, we ask for your understanding that we urgently need this channel to set the record straight.