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She is integral to NewJeanss identity, and we all feel that she is irreplaceable, Danielle read.
Did that mean the dispute was finally over?
Nope, not even close.
One things for sure: K-pop stans are tuned in.
The Latest
Is NewJeans leaving ADOR?
Depends on whom youre asking.
The label believes the entire industry could be affected by what happens next.
What happened with the injunction before ComplexCon?
(It only applies until a ruling is reached in the yet-to-be-resolvedmain lawsuitover their contracts.)
We will be fully present at ComplexCon this weekend to guarantee the performance is presented under the NewJeans name.
We eagerly anticipate meeting with the artists for a heartfelt conversation at the earliest opportunity.
Still, the members arent giving up yet.
NJZ respects the courts ruling.
Maybe this is just the current reality in Korea.
But thats exactly why we believe change and growth are necessary.
It almost feels like Korea wants to turn us into revolutionaries.
Whats the contract-dispute lawsuit about?
Probably what youd guess from the name.
A hearing for that lawsuit is currently set for April 3.
ADOR has neither the ability nor the will to protect NewJeans,Hannideclared, perKoreaJoongAng Daily.
Staying at the agency will only prolong our psychological pain and waste our time.
Ultimately, they argued that ADOR didnt make an effort to rectify its alleged breaches of contract when asked.
But ADOR believes that it never violated the contract in the first place.
Therefore, we expect them to continue their scheduled activities ahead together with ADOR as they have until now.
Regardless, NewJeans seems to have already planned a future without ADOR.
They also expressed a desire to work withex-CEO Min Hee-jinagain if possible.
NewJeans and ADOR had a seven-year contract that was set to expire in 2029.
All five members reportedly signed the document, known as a certification of content.
(You might have been surprised by the news, but dont worry, were okay!
Danielle assured fans in amessageon the fan app Phoning.)
Minannounced her resignationfrom ADOR and HYBE on November 20.
Will NewJeans/NJZ have to pay penalties for leaving?
They dont think they need to, but we dont know for sure what will happen yet.
What did Hanni say at the National Assembly?
She said she wanted to prevent similar things from happening to other idols and trainees.
(HYBE denied the latter claim, arguing that it was trying to correct a factual error.)
She also claimed that CCTV footage expired before she could request it.
Hanni didntlook convincedthat Kim wanted to help, and at one point,said as muchdirectly to the exec.
The ones who should be apologizing are avoiding responsibility, and that frustrates me.
Background
Who is Min Hee-jin, and why is she fighting HYBE?
Over the course of her career, some of her concepts have been criticized as age-inappropriate.
In 2022, shedeniedallegations that her past Instagram posts had glamorized pedophilia.
In 2019, Min joined Big Hit Entertainment, BTSs agency, as chief brand officer.
HYBE owns an 80 percent stake in it.
They took home 12 music-show wins for lead single Magnetic.
(HYBE later denied this in astatement, claiming that it actually sent her a six-page answer.)
Per multiplelocalreports, HYBEs audit involved questionnaires and requests for assets such as company files and laptops.
What did Min Hee-jin say during thatpress conference?
Regarding HYBEs alleged evidence, she argued that private conversations are being presented out of context.
For example, HYBE claimed Min had considered involving foreign investors to facilitate a takeover plan.
Would that even be possible?
Min name-dropped severalother K-pop groupsin her claims that HYBE also slighted NewJeans and ADOR prior to ILLITs debut.
Notably, she feels NewJeans was initially shunted aside to promote Le Sserafim (which Source Music hasdenied).
She went forward because she said that she wanted to make things right.
In the wake of the press conference, articles and press releases were pumped out on a daily basis.
And NewJeans/NJZ sided withMin Hee-jin?
Theyre definitely Team Min, yes.
She discusses even the smallest details with us and explains them in ways that we can understand clearly.
NewJeans has a distinct color and tone, and this was created with CEO Min Hee-jin.
She claimed that ADORs new CEO made her feel like a liar when she recounted what happened.
They further hinted that they have experienced other uncomfortable incidents that they cant discuss owing to their contract.
Meanwhile, even the girls families got involved.
(HYBEdenied the claimsin a press release.)
So how did Min Hee-jin lose her CEO status?
It definitely didnt happenA-S-A-P, baby.
Naturally, HYBE disagreed but it also had a backup plan.
Ultimately, ADORs board met on May 10 and agreed to convene a shareholders meeting on May 31.
Since HYBE owns 80% of ADOR, Mins prospects of staying suddenly seemed slim.
Nu Kim), and TXT producer Slow Rabbit submitted petitions in support of HYBE.
HYBE said it would comply with the ruling, but would take follow-up legal action.
It looks like those new members may have helped finally sway the balance against Min.
After months of efforts, she was replaced as CEO in an August 27 board meeting.
Even after Min Hee-jin was replaced as the label head, she was still an employee at ADOR.
We acknowledge and appreciate the courts wise ruling, HYBE said in a statement to Vulture.
Wasnt Min Hee-jin going to stay on as a producer?
She claimed that the contract contained toxic clauses, which the label denied.
Why did Min Hee-jin resign?
Still, that doesnt mean weve seen the last of her.
ADOR confirmed Mins exit in a brief statement toForbeson November 20.
It is regrettable that Min unilaterally notified us of her resignation, the statement said.
ADOR will continue to provide our fullest support to NewJeans to help them grow and thrive even further.
Why is the shareholder agreement important?
The agreement reportedly gave Min the power to ask HYBE to purchase 75 percent of her ADOR stocks.
SPOTV estimated that these put-option rights were worth around $75 million.
However, ADOR apparently hasnt given up on NewJeans yet.
Both Min and HYBE acknowledged in September that album production for the group was on hold.
The girls didnt seem too sure about that, though.
During the livestream, NewJeans empathized with that sentiment.
According toKoreaJoongAng Daily, ADOR claimed that it only asked him to take down one video for copyright reasons.
Shin laterrestored affected contentand announced plans to take legal action against the label.
Whats happened to ILLIT?
Fellow member Wonhee added that Bang Si-hyuk had personally offered advice and input for this comeback.
Okay, now how did BTS get involved?
Military service couldnt keep this conflict from reaching the group.
Even a pet has gotten in it.
A follow-uppostthe next day added, Dont use them.
Naturally, this vague allegation did not sit well with the BTS Army.
In herpress conference, Min denied ever saying this.
I think it would be better for me if BTS went, what do you think?
Min said, per aKoreaJoongAng Dailytranslation, to which the shaman responded, Im trying to send them.
Min claimed that the shaman is simply a friend of hers.
And werent there rumors about a cult?
Reports fromRolling StoneandForbesinclude allegations that the group is a pseudo-religious cult.
Perhaps a virtual education simply offers a more flexible schedule?
Whats up with Source Music and that Dispatch expose?
Source Musicfirmly denied thisand said it would pursue further legal action against Min on top of its existing lawsuit.
The report includes a video of a seven-person Attention dance practice with two faces blurred out.
In NewJeanssSeptember 11 livestream, Haerin expresseddiscomfortwith the release of predebut content and HYBEs inaction.
What other K-pop groups have been mentioned?
At this point, the better question might be what groupshaventbeen.
When questioned, Belift CEO and HYBE COO Kim Tae-ho claimed that this was a collection of external opinions.
Min and HYBE have offered verydifferentexplanationsfor this decision.
According to HYBE, its comms team distributed 273 press releases for NewJeans in 2023.
In comparison, 365 were released for Pledis, which has four teams including boy band Seventeen.
