On April 4, the parents of NewJeans issued an official statement saying, “The reports circulated by some media outlets are entirely false. All five members are firm in their decision not to return to HYBE. We, the parents, fully respect our daughters’ decisions.” They also addressed the rumors involving member Haerin and her legal guardianship dispute. “The tabloid reports regarding Haerin are completely untrue. Both Haerin and her parents are firmly united in their stance, and any assumptions about their family situation are entirely unfounded.”
However, despite these clarifications, comment sections across portal sites are filled with icy responses. Emotionally charged replies like “Don’t care, don’t wanna know” and sarcastic remarks such as “They’re completely out of touch“, “Do whatever you want” and “Hope you all stay this close forever” are flooding in.
Some netizens went further, commenting “Gaslighting really is terrifying” and “They’ve gone beyond a contract dispute and lost all emotional sense“, expressing a sentiment that trust is now irreparably broken.
Last month, NewJeans officially declared they would not return to ADOR without Min Hee-jin and initiated a full-fledged lawsuit to terminate their exclusive contracts. However, during the trial process, issues such as the custody status of minor members and signs of disagreement among families emerged, fueling speculation of internal conflict.
Although the parents have strongly denied these claims as “malicious media manipulation“, the fact that even their clarifications are not being trusted raises questions about how this ongoing situation will impact the group’s image going forward.