K-pop group NewJeans issued a statement in response to a lawsuit filed by ADOR, a subsidiary of its record label HYBE, which seeks to prevent the group from terminating its exclusive contract.
Last week (December 3), i like it A legal complaint has been filed new jeans and Seoul Central District Courtchallenging the group’s recent attempts to leave the label, ADOR claimed that existing contracts remain legally binding and cannot be terminated unilaterally.
In response to ADOR’s lawsuit, the group issued a statement to local Korean media on Friday (December 6), saying that continuing their relationship would expose them to further damage. “We may suffer more harm in the future,” members said.
new jeans member Minji, Hani people, Danielle, Hailinand Huiren The company and its parent company HYBE are accused of trying to undermine artists.
“HYBE has attempted various forms of interference, including slander and reverse viral marketing, to devalue us, and ADOR, under new management, has allowed this to happen.”
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“HYBE has attempted various forms of interference, including slander and reverse viral marketing, to devalue us, and ADOR, under new management, has allowed this to occur,” NewJeans said.
“This is akin to a company making malicious comments about us, the very artists they are supposed to be protecting. Given this breakdown in trust, we conclude that we may be in danger of suffering even greater harm in the future.
NewJeans’ statement noted that ADOR believed the contracts should continue until ADOR recouped its investment in NewJeans, but the group said it “has returned to ADOR and HYBE profits in excess of the investment.”
The ongoing dispute between ADOR and NewJeans is part of a larger internal conflict involving the former ADOR executive and creative director Heejin’s thoughts. HYBE previously accused NewJeans founder Min of trying to sell company stock and leaking confidential information, which led to her being removed from her position as CEO and subsequently resigning from the company’s board of directors.
NewJeans members have since publicly accused ADOR employees of abuse. During a YouTube livestream in September, they claimed to have overheard instructions to ignore them.
Recently, NewJeans highlighted that their contract contains a clause that allows for termination if the company fails to meet its obligations. They claim they provided ADOR a 14-day grace period to resolve the contract breach, but the company failed to do so.
“Therefore, we notified ADOR of the termination of the contract in accordance with the exclusive contract, and the termination took effect immediately,” the members said.
The statement revealed further behind-the-scenes details, including allegations that managers supporting the group’s remaining activities were harassed, laptops were confiscated and ADOR and HYBE launched surprise investigations.
“We find it difficult to comprehend such unethical and inhumane behavior by this company, and it pains us to see the harm this company is causing goes beyond our scope.”
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“We have witnessed the results in tears. It is difficult for us to understand such unethical and inhumane behavior by this company, and it pains us to see the harm this company has caused goes beyond our scope.
They added: “Our trust in ADOR and HYBE has collapsed as they have repeatedly breached the terms of their contracts and failed to live up to their obligations to protect artists.”
NewJeans insists it remains united despite the company’s actions. “No matter how they sow discord, the five of us will stick together and no one can tear us apart,” the members said.
The group said they hope the legal process will fully reveal ADOR’s contractual violations and the reasons for seeking to terminate the contract. NewJeans added that they remain committed to pursuing “healthy music activity” and continue to receive support from their fans.
You can read NewJeans’ full statement below:
Hi everyone, I’m Minji, Hani, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein.
We sincerely apologize for making this statement under such confusing circumstances.
Recently, we learned through the media that ADOR filed a lawsuit, requesting confirmation that our exclusive contract is still valid. In its statement, ADOR failed to correctly assert that there was no breach of the exclusivity contract, instead repeatedly claiming that the contract could not be terminated until the company recouped its support and investment.
However, we have returned profits in excess of investment to ADOR and HYBE. Despite this, HYBE continues to attempt various forms of interference, including slander and reverse viral marketing, to devalue us, and ADOR, under new management, has allowed this to happen. This is akin to companies making nasty comments about us, when we are the very artists they are supposed to be protecting. Given this breakdown in trust, we conclude that we may be exposed to greater harm in the future.
Our trust in ADOR and HYBE, who have repeatedly violated the terms of their contracts and failed to fulfill their obligations to protect artists, has collapsed. Under the terms of our exclusive contract, we no longer have any reason to continue working with ADOR and HYBE.
The exclusive contract clearly stipulates that we have the right to terminate the contract if ADOR fails to perform its contractual obligations.
Forcing us to work for another five years despite a broken trust and breach of contract is not only unreasonable but inhumane.
We gave ADOR a 14-day grace period to correct the contract violations, but ADOR failed to do so. Therefore, we notified ADOR of the termination of the contract under the exclusive contract, which was effective immediately.
ADOR has filed suit seeking a court ruling on the legality of the termination, but this is only a procedural step to obtain subsequent confirmation from the court. We deeply regret that the statement issued by ADOR misled the public into believing that the contract is still valid.
To reiterate, as of November 29, 2024, we are no longer affiliated with ADOR. ADOR has no right to interfere with or participate in our activities.
Despite publicly announced attempts at dialogue and reconciliation, we were shocked and disgusted to learn that ADOR was secretly following us, defaming us and spreading falsehoods through the media. But no matter how they sow discord, the five of us are always united and no one can tear us apart.
After announcing the termination of the exclusive contract, we have been conscientiously performing the remaining activities scheduled with ADOR as promised. However, the managers and performance directors who facilitated these activities were severely harassed, had their laptops confiscated, and were subjected to a surprise investigation by ADOR and HYBE, which resulted in us witnessing them in tears. It is difficult for us to understand such unethical and inhumane behavior by this company, and even more heartbreaking is the fact that the harm caused by this company reaches beyond our scope.
Although we expect the road ahead to be challenging, we dream of a life where we can engage in healthy music activities with the fans who love us. We are determined to make this dream come true.
Even after changing CEOs, ADOR failed to address HYBE’s numerous issues, protect us, and demand improvements from another label that defamed us and spread falsehoods. We deeply regret that ADOR, which has always used avoidance as an excuse, has now filed a lawsuit. However, we hope to fully expose the reasons for our decision to terminate the exclusive contract and ADOR’s contractual violations through legal procedures.
We want to be brave and healthy people. We sincerely thank everyone who has supported us so far and ask that you continue to watch and love the five of us.
Thanks.global music business
