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NewJeans warns agency of intention to leave if ex-head is not reinstated

November 13, 2024

K-pop girl group NewJeans sent a certificate of contents Wednesday, warning their management agency that they will leave if the former agency CEO is not reinstated.

The quintet sent the certificate of contents to their agency, ADOR, a subsidiary label of Hybe, industry sources said, signaling a potential legal dispute over their exclusive contracts.

The case marked the latest development in an ongoing conflict between former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, whom NewJeans supports, and parent company Hybe.

K-pop girl group NewJeans is seen in this photo provided by its management agency, ADOR. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In the letter, signed by all five members under their legal names, they demanded ADOR “rectify all grave breaches of the exclusive contracts within 14 days of receipt.”

“If ADOR does not meet the demand for rectification, (we) plan to revoke our exclusive contracts,” the members said in the letter.

The demands included the reinstatement of Min as CEO as well as an official apology from a manger of a girl group from Hybe’s sub-label, who NewJeans claims has bullied its member Hanni.

Last month, Hanni attended a parliamentary hearing on workplace bullying, accusing the manager of telling members of girl group ILLIT to “ignore” her when they encountered her at Hybe’s building.

“We want Min Hee-jin to take charge of ADOR’s management and production of NewJeans like before,” the members said in the letter, urging the agency to protect the unique color and work of NewJeans.

“We miss the times when we had high hopes for the music and the stage, as well as new and creative performances to deliver along with Min Hee-jin,” they said.

The members also demanded ADOR look into suspicions that Hybe cut off support to NewJeans and prioritized other girl groups under its label — ILLIT and Le Sserafim — and take necessary legal actions against those responsible.

A photo of the certificate of contents NewJeans sent to its management agency, ADOR, provided by a Yonhap News Agency reader on Nov. 13, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The dispute surfaced in April, when Hybe launched an internal investigation into Min, who created NewJeans in 2022, on charges of attempting to seize control of the agency and break away from its parent company with the girl group.

Min has denied the allegations, accusing Hybe of sidelining NewJeans in favor of other artists under Hybe.

The tensions escalated after Hybe removed Min from her position in August.

Since then, the NewJeans members have been demanding Hybe reinstate her and take measures to address the situation.

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