On September 11, 2024, girl band NewJeans went on a livestream on a YouTube account that was not linked to their company’s account. They asked the music label HYBE to restore the position of former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. The members mentioned that they want this step to be taken by September 25, 2024, which is approximately 2 weeks from now. Unfortunately, the broadcast has been deleted from its original channel but fans have re-uploaded it on various social media apps.
What if HYBE doesn’t meet NewJeans’ demand?
Many are speculating that this might be a warning from the girl band, which may lead to a termination of their exclusive contracts if demands are not met on time. As reported by Allkpop, the artists can take multiple steps to initiate the termination of the contract.
Firstly, they will have to complain against their parent company (HYBE), and the response time provided will be two weeks. After two weeks the company will have to address the issue and if they don’t do so or fail to meet the expectations of the artist then the artist can file for an injunction or a contract termination lawsuit. An injunction is a legal recognition of the invalidity of a contract.
It is anticipated that NewJeans giving HYBE a two-week deadline may be planned. It is possible that either Min Hee Jin or her parents had hired a legal team to help them.
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What did NewJeans say about HYBE’s mistreatment?
Hanni from NewJeans recounted a distressing experience in a building where she was ‘snubbed’ by a manager after greeting him and his team. As reported by Koreaboo, Hanni said, “There are hair and makeup rooms on the 4th floor of the building. It’s a space frequented by other artists and staff. Anyway, I was waiting alone in the corridor, and another group and one of their managers passed by me. We greeted each other warmly.”
She described the moment when the same manager instructed his team to “ignore her” upon encountering her again, despite their earlier friendly exchange. “Right in front of me. I can see and hear everything, but the manager said, ‘ignore her.’ I don’t even know why I had to go through that. It leaves me speechless.”
NewJeans member Minji expressed the group’s demand and said, “What we want is for Min Hee Jin to remain as the CEO, the original ADOR where management and production was combined. This is the way we will be able to stop fighting HYBE. If you have understood our opinions clearly, then we ask for HYBE and Chairman Bang to make the wise decision to return to ADOR to how it originally was by the 25th.”
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Hyein also requested HYBE, “The way HYBE works is not upright and moral. Please stop bothering us. Reinstate CEO Min, and return ADOR to its original state, not this unfamiliar environment. I’m not asking you to be better to us. I’m just asking for us to work separately from our individual places. I hope you listen to our requests.”
