Breaking: NewJeans Announces Departure From ADOR

The five members of NewJeans are leaving ADOR.

Earlier on November 13, NewJeans sent a certification of contents to their agency ADOR, demanding that ADOR rectify all significant breaches of the exclusive contracts within 14 days and warning, “If our demands for rectification are not accepted, we will terminate our exclusive contracts.”

On November 28, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein held an emergency press conference.

The members took turns explaining the group’s position:

Before we begin, we wanted to reiterate that the YouTube live we held in September and the certification of contents we sent two weeks with demands for rectification were decided and prepared together by all five of us.

First of all, the reason we are holding this emergency press conference is because the time period for rectification from the certification of contents we sent ends at midnight tonight. However, although today’s work hours are over, HYBE and the current ADOR are not showing any will to make reform or to listen to our requests.

Actually, tomorrow morning we are leaving for Japan and are returning next week because we have scheduled activities abroad. We were worried because we are not sure what kind of media play or media manipulation HYBE and the current ADOR will do during that time, and we wanted to express our thoughts accurately, so we discussed a lot among ourselves, and we had no choice but to hold an emergency press conference today.

The reason we are leaving ADOR is very simple, and I think the reporters here who know our situation are also all very aware. NewJeans is an artist of ADOR, and ADOR is obligated to protect NewJeans. It is the most basic obligation that an agency has. ADOR does not have the will or ability to protect NewJeans. If we remain here, it will be a waste of our time, and our mental distress will continue. More than anything, there is nothing that we can gain in terms of our work, so the five of us think that there is no reason at all for us to remain at ADOR.

As a result, the exclusive contracts between NewJeans and ADOR will be terminated as of November 29 at 12 a.m. KST. However, HYBE and ADOR are currently differentiating the two companies like wordplay, insisting that it cannot be a violation of contract because HYBE is at fault and not ADOR. However, as everyone knows, HYBE and ADOR are pretty much just one entity now. The ADOR that we worked with has already changed a lot, and the directors who were at the company before were all abruptly dismissed. Now they are differentiating HYBE and ADOR, and we really cannot accept the argument that we must maintain our exclusive contracts with the ADOR that has been changed according to what HYBE wants, that has cut off ties with the [music video] director who worked hard with us, that has broken all of this trust. As a result, we demanded rectification regarding the violations of our contract, and as mentioned earlier, the time period for that rectification ends at midnight tonight. I’m not sure if you saw yesterday, but [they released] an unwilling statement that begins with “This statement is in response to the actions required by the certification of contents from the artists” with no will for reform and only for show as they have continuously demonstrated, and no rectification occurred for any of the requests we made. We expressed our opinions on several occasions such as through the live broadcast and through this certification of contents, but we are so tired of their insincere attitude, and we felt once again that they have no sincerity toward us and that have no desire at all to listen to our requests. Work hours have passed, and less than four hours remain until midnight, but no rectification has been made, so the five of us will terminate our contracts immediately at midnight on November 29.

When our exclusive contracts our terminated, the five of us will no longer be artists of ADOR. Breaking away from ADOR, we plan on freely carrying out the activities that we sincerely want. However, we will carry out the promised and contracted activities we have scheduled already. We will also carry out the contracted advertisement deals as planned. We wanted to relay that we are really truly thankful to the advertisers who always support us and that they do not have to worry. We do not want to cause any harm to others due to our contract termination. We do not want that.

We also saw several articles about penalties for breach of contract. We did not violate our exclusive contracts, and we have never violated them. Until now, we have been putting in our full effort to carry out our activities, so we think that there is no reason for us to pay penalties. Actually, the current ADOR and HYBE violated the contracts, leading to this current situation, so we believe the current ADOR and HYBE are the ones who are responsible.

Lastly, when midnight passes tonight, there is a possibility that the five of us may not be able to use the name NewJeans for the time being despite our will. However, the essence that the five of us are NewJeans will not change at all, and we do not have any thoughts of giving up the name NewJeans. To some people, NewJeans may just feel like a name or a trademark issue, but it is not that simple to us. It is a name that contains the meaning of everything we have achieved from the first day that the five of us met until now, so we will continue to work to secure the rights to the name NewJeans.

Hanni also shared the following in English:

We have faced mistreatment not just toward us but also toward our staff, countless preventions and contradictions, deliberate miscommunication, and manipulation regarding multiple areas. [It is] a company that no longer has any sincerity in the art of music that is created, is rather fixated on appearing like a well-working company despite only having thoughts about making money, and does not have any conscience about the negative effect they create through their non-authentic means. This is not the type of work ethic we respect nor want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm. So that is why we, the five of us together, have agreed to leave ADOR. And for us to clearly express ourselves before misleading information is released regarding this, we have chosen to hold an emergency press conference today.

Danielle continued in English:

So basically once we leave ADOR we will aim to pursue freely the activities that we really desire. Especially with the schedules that have already been arranged, we will try our very best to continue them without any complications. We really wish to be able to release new music for Bunnies next year, as soon as possible, whenever. And we really hope that we have the opportunity to meet you guys from all around the world. Lastly, we are well aware that from today we may not be able to use our current name NewJeans, however, that doesn’t mean that we are giving up on the name at all, and we will continue to fight for NewJeans. Regardless of our name, just remember that NewJeans never dies.

Minji concluded:

I believe that a person’s mental attitude is very important. A courageous person can change the world and live their life more independently. I don’t think everyone has the courage to take action for whatever they set their mind on rather than measuring how much they are capable of achieving. For me, it was possible because I also had Bunnies, our fans, who are by my side, and my members, and I gained a lot of courage from seeing Min Hee Jin. What I have seen while working with her is that she always worked the most busily, and there were always good people by her side. She also once said that she wants to set a precedent, and those words really hit me and became a great source of courage. People make many resolutions throughout their lives, but I think everyone knows that it is not easy to protect those resolutions while betting on their own lives. I believe that nothing can be resolved without taking action for yourself, and no one can resolve it for you. That is why the five of us prepared this occasion today, and we prepared it because we wanted to share our position with dignity. Of course, a lot will happen from now on, and we don’t know what kind of disturbances there will be, but the five of us decided to work together to enjoy the adventure, the challenge ahead. We hope you can support and watch over our path ahead. Lastly, whether it is school or work, I hope everyone can have an environment where they can work with respect for each other and without harassment. Thank you.