Staff Writer Kelly Cheong summarises the recent legal upheaval surrounding the group NewJeans, discussing its possible implications on the wider K-pop politics.
Readers can find this article’s sister piece in the comment section: “K-Pop Idols Are Not “Workers,” Says South Korean Government”.
It’s official, K-pop superstars NewJeans have rebranded to NJZ following their departure from HYBE Entertainment.
Speaking exclusively to CNN, the members revealed that they plan on resuming their activities as idols, performing and releasing new music under the new name.
This announcement may come as a surprise to most fans, given that NJZ members are still knee-deep in several legal battles with HYBE.
The group have been regularly making headlines since April of last year since their bitter falling out with execs from ADOR and its parent company HYBE.
The dispute stems from an initial conflict between ADOR’s former CEO Min Hee Jin and HYBE. NewJeans have made it clear that they stand firmly behind her, with members publicly expressing their admiration and affection for Min and openly criticising HYBE on multiple occasions.
Here’s a full timeline of all the drama in case not everyone has caught up:
Timeline
April 22: HYBE conducts an unexpected internal audit of sub-label ADOR (NewJeans’ label). This leads them to call for a shareholder’s meeting and to send an official letter to CEO of ADOR, Min Hee Jin, asking her to step down from her role.
In an exclusive interview with Korea Economic Daily, Min alleges that HYBE’s recent actions were a direct response to ADOR’s earlier demands for clarification regarding suspected plagiarism by one of HYBE’s sub-labels, Belift Labs.
April 24: HYBE’s CEO Park Ji-won announces that through the internal audit, they had discovered evidence of Min Hee Jin and other executives trying to “seize control” of ADOR.
April 25: Min Hee Jin holds her first press conference, saying she is not trying to take over ADOR. Additionally, she accuses HYBE of plagiarising NewJean’s creative direction and choreography with their new girl group ILLIT.
Prior to this press conference, HYBE released a statement announcing that they would be reporting Min Hee Jin to the police for breach of trust and other related allegations.
May 7: HYBE requests an emergency shareholder’s meeting on May 10 to fire Min Hee Jin. Min Hee Jin’s lawyer issues a public statement, calling the move a violation of the shareholders’ contract between Min Hee Jin and HYBE.
May 9: Min Hee Jin files an injunction to stop HYBE from firing her as CEO at the shareholder’s meeting.
May 22: Belift Lab, sub-label of HYBE which houses girl group ILLIT, files a lawsuit against Min Hee Jin for obstruction of business and defamation as a result of her comments from the press conference. The case is still pending.
May 30: The court grants Min Hee Jin an injunction, holding that the reasons for her dismissal were not sufficiently substantiated.
May 31: The shareholder meeting still takes place, but Min Hee Jin keeps her role as CEO of ADOR. Votes counted towards the firing of two ADOR executives and their replacement with three HYBE ones.
Min Hee Jin proceeds to hold a second press conference. Through tears, she expresses her desire to reconcile with HYBE and to keeping working with NewJeans as their CEO.
That same day, NewJeans wins an award on Korean entertainment show Music Bank. In their speech, they thank Min Hee Jin for always supporting them, exclaiming, “We love you CEO!”.
July 31: Min Hee Jin posts a picture of a letter given to her by NewJeans member Danielle on Instagram. In the note, Danielle expresses love and gratitude towards Min, calling her a “mother and warrior”. She also writes: “Whatever you choose, I want to be together with you”, foreshadowing NewJeans’ departure from ADOR after Min is fired as CEO.
August 27: Min Hee Jin steps down as CEO of ADOR – which she claims was not her choice. In the following days, several NewJeans members take to the app Phoning to voice their distress at the changes to their management.
September 11: NewJeans goes live on Youtube without their company’s knowledge. They reveal unpleasant working experiences in HYBE since April. Additionally, they demand that the label reinstate Min Hee Jin to the position of CEO by 25 September, alleging that their treatment of her was “inhumane”. Member Danielle calls her “integral to NewJeans’ identity”.
Following this livestream, multiple fans file claims reporting workplace harassment to the Korean government on Hanni’s behalf.
September 13: Min Hee Jin files for an injunction to request an extraordinary shareholder’s meeting to reinstate her as CEO.
October 15: Hanni makes an appearance at the National Assembly meeting, talking about her experience with workplace bullying and harassment. She recounts a recent incident when she encountered one of HYBE’s groups in the hallway and greeted them with respect. However, a manager accompanying the group reportedly instructed them to ignore her. She further claims that certain HYBE executives have been deliberately avoiding her, and that employees within the company have been badmouthing the group.
October 29: Min Hee Jin’s injunction to be reinstated to CEO is denied by a South Korean Court.
November 16: NewJeans attends the 2024 Korea Grand Music Awards. They win the Grand Artist Award, one of the biggest of the night, and make an emotional speech. Leader Hanni admits that “[they] don’t know until when [they] will be NewJeans [again]”, but Danielle reassures fans by chiming in, “NewJeans never die”.
November 20: The Ministry of Employment and Labour issues a statement revealing that the Seoul Western District Office had dismissed the workplace harassment claims filed by fans. They explain: “it is difficult to consider Hanni a worker under the Labour Standards Act, so the case was administratively closed”.
November 28: NewJeans announce in a press conference that their exclusive contracts will be terminated on November 29. Hanni delivers a harsh statement, saying that ADOR under its new management “has neither the ability nor the will” to protect NewJeans.
December 3: ADOR files a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District court to ensure the continued legal enforcement of NewJeans’ contract.
December 5: ADOR issues a statement announcing the lawsuit, saying they have not violated the terms of their agreement and remain “committed to continuing their collaboration with NewJeans”. The dispute is set to be heard in April of this year.
January 14 2025: ADOR files a preliminary injunction with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking to prevent the the members from pursuing new independent activities.
February 7 2025: NewJeans’ members reveal their rebrand to NJZ. ADOR responded in a statement to Vulture, “While the legal proceedings concerning the exclusive contract between ADOR and the NewJeans members are ongoing, we deeply regret that the members have unilaterally made this choice [to announce a new stage name]”.
Conclusion
Leaving ADOR was clearly not an easy decision to make. The entertainment powerhouse still seems persistent to keep control over the group and their lawsuit will likely be a lengthy and expensive one. NJZ have also hinted that they will still fight for the name NewJeans, signalling the potential for a whole other legal battle. While this seems like the end of a very long saga, it is really just the beginning.
NJZ’s future is currently plagued with uncertainty. Outside the slew of legal proceedings coming their way, the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) could not have been more obvious about whose side they’re on. In December last year, they spoke out publicly, slamming NJZ for their decision to leave ADOR. They described it as a “tampering attempt”, and threatened to exclude the music of artists suspected of “tampering” from appearing on the Circle chart (A music industry standard record chart ranking the most popular songs domestically). They also threatened to exclude them from all major Korean broadcast services and Korean award show ceremonies. To sum it up, they are essentially threatening an industry-wide boycott of NJZ’s new music made independently from ADOR.
Despite the risks, NewJeans took the path of most resistance, refusing to remain silent. Their bold stand against alleged “mistreatment” and “manipulation” delays any return to the spotlight but sets them apart in an industry where idols rarely speak out. Beyond the courtroom, they also face the daunting challenge of securing a new label – a process that could take time.
Now, fans wait in anticipation, as another hit single like “OMG” or “Supernatural” is not as far off as many thought. It must be said, their bravery is remarkable, particularly in an industry hyper-controlled by executives, where companies often speak for idols and the artists seldom speak up for themselves. Hopefully, the story of NewJeans’ resilience will not only redefine their legacy, but also inspire the long-overdue changes in the K-pop world.
