NewJeans’ Agency Battle Sparks Growing Concerns
On November 16th, NewJeans performed at the 1st KOREA GRAND MUSIC AWARDS. From left to right: Hye In (16), Hye Rin (18), Daniel (19), Hani (20), and Minji (20) (Photo: Afro).Finally, the nurturing parent has parted ways with HYBE and ADOR.
Here’s the updated translation with the corrected names:
The former CEO of ADOR (the agency of the popular K-pop group NewJeans), Min Hee-jin (44), resigned from her position as an internal director on November 20, as reported by various Korean media.
Min is known as the nurturing parent of NewJeans, but in April of this year, a conflict with HYBE, the parent company of ADOR and home to the globally popular group BTS, came to light.
“In April, HYBE accused Min and the ADOR management team of attempting to seize control of the company’s operations, raising suspicions of breach of duty. Since then, a prolonged battle has unfolded. Ultimately, in August, Min was demoted from CEO to an internal director of ADOR.
In the face of the nurturing parent’s crisis, on November 13, NewJeans members sent a notice demanding the rectification of the exclusive contract violation to ADOR. The demands included Min’s reinstatement as CEO, as well as an apology for the incident where managers from other groups under HYBE’s umbrella instructed their members to ignore Hani.
They also demanded a response within 14 days of receiving the notice and declared that if their demands were not accepted, they would terminate their exclusive contract. Min’s resignation came shortly after, signaling the final stage of the intense dispute,” explained a reporter familiar with the Korean entertainment industry.
Regarding her resignation, Min issued a statement, warning, “I intend to hold HYBE legally responsible for violating the shareholders’ agreement.” According to local media, Min has announced that after her resignation, she plans to file a lawsuit for 50 billion won (approximately 5.52 billion yen) in damages against BELIFT LAB, a subsidiary of HYBE that houses ILLIT, who is set to perform for the first time at the 75th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. However, HYBE has already filed a lawsuit against Min, leading to a heated legal battle.
Will there be no new offers in Japan from now on?
“Since the beginning of this year, Min has stated that ILLIT mimicked the production style of NewJeans, and over this remark, both ILLIT’s agency and Min have filed civil and criminal lawsuits against each other. Also, SOURCE MUSIC, which manages LE SSERAFIM, another group under HYBE, has filed a lawsuit seeking damages over Min’s comment. The first hearing for these two lawsuits is scheduled for January 10 next year.
In the midst of this, NewJeans, who made their debut at the Kouhaku Uta Gassen last year, failed to be selected this year. NHK is likely looking ahead to next year when HYBE’s flagship group, BTS, will return. It seems they made the decision to exclude Min’s side with NewJeans and select HYBE’s ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM instead. If a Japanese artist were involved in a similar dispute, perhaps they would not have been allowed to perform, as the saying ‘a plague on both your houses suggests’” (according to the same source).
On November 15, NewJeans members made their first appearance on a Japanese variety show, appearing on the 2-hour special of Ninosan (Ninomiya Kazunari’s show on Nippon TV). They are also scheduled to appear on TV Asahi’s Music Station on the 29th, Nippon TV’s Best Artist 2024 on the 30th, and Fuji TV’s 2024 FNS Song Festival on December 4. Additionally, on New Year’s Eve, when they will not be on the Kohaku stage, they will perform at the annual year-end music festival COUNTDOWN JAPAN 24/25 in Chiba, Makuhari Messe, and have a busy schedule in Japan. However,
“As for the engagements that have already been decided, there’s nothing that can be done. However, concerning NewJeans, various related parties are likely to be more cautious about future offers. Ultimately, as seen from NHK’s immediate move to take a safety measure, if they offend HYBE, there is a risk of being completely shut out of BTS-related business. Until the situation is fully resolved in some way, there may be no new offers for NewJeans in Japan” (according to a source in the music industry).
On November 16, just before Min’s resignation, NewJeans members made their first appearance since the delivery of the notice at the 1st KOREA GRAND MUSIC AWARDS’ in Seoul, where they won two awards: Grand Artist Award and Best Artist Award. During this, Hanni made a poignant comment:
“We don’t know how long we can stay as ‘NewJeans,’ but we believe that nothing will get in the way of the bond between the five of us and our Bunnies (our fanbase), so let’s stay united until the very end.”
Attention is focused on their future.
FRIDAY Digital welcomes your information and tip-offs. Please send your information to the following information form or to the official X.
FRIDAY Digital welcomes your information and tip-offs. Please send your information to the following information form or to the official X.
Information form: https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips
Official X: https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit
PHOTO： Kazuhiko Nakamura (ILLIT)
