New Delhi:
With their innovative girl-next-door concept and massive popularity, girl group Newzines is credited with revolutionizing the current K-pop genre. The band consists of five members – Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Herin and Hyeon, debuted in 2022 and achieved major success with their debut album. Recently, the group made news when they announced their exit from their agency ADOR, a division of HYBE Corporation. Shortly thereafter, ADOR released a statement claiming that their contract with NewJeans is valid until 2029. “ADOR has never breached the contract, and just because (NewJeans members) argue that trust has been broken does not mean the contract can be voided and terminated,” the statement said. Read.
This situation appears to be the result of months of growing tension between HYBE and Min Hee Jin. The former ADOR CEO is considered a mentor to NewJeans and was also the group’s executive producer. Min Hee Jin had to step down from her position at ADOR in August, which didn’t sit well with NewJeans. Following the removal of Min Hee Jin from the position of ADOR CEO, the group is reportedly being mistreated by the company. He has accused ADOR of workplace harassment and violating the rights of its artists, which ultimately culminated in his exit from the company.
HYBE vs min hee jin
On April 22, it was reported that HYBE had initiated an audit of ADOR and requested Min Hee Jin’s resignation, citing suspicions that he was attempting a coup for sole management rights of ADOR (and thus, NewJeans). Was trying to. ADOR released a statement in response to the audit, accusing Hybe of plagiarism, infringement of creative works, and deliberate attempts to discredit the achievements of both ADOR and NewJeans.
To remove Min from his position, HYBE called an urgent shareholders’ meeting in early May. All five members of Newgins filed court petitions supporting Min’s request for an injunction to stop the meeting, while other Haib executives filed petitions supporting the parent firm. Ultimately, the injunction was granted after the court decided that HYBE lacked the evidence to fire Min.
NEWGENES VS HYBE AND ADOR
After months of disputes and conflicts between Min Hee Jin and HYBE, Min ultimately resigned as CEO on August 27, but retained the position of Creative Director of Newzines. Meanwhile, Newzines openly expressed their support for Min Hee Jin. In a surprise YouTube livestream on September 11, the group expressed their dissatisfaction with HYBE’s management skills and highlighted his important role in building their identity.
As the controversy escalated, attention turned to Newgen’s struggles with what they called a toxic work environment. On October 15, group member Hanni testified before the Environment and Labor Committee of the South Korean National Assembly, detailing examples of harassment and discrimination at ADOR.
Amid growing hostility, Newgins gave ADOR an ultimatum on 13 November, pointing out multiple violations of their exclusive contract and threatening to end the arrangement if not corrected in 14 days. On November 20, Min Hee Jin formally stepped down as creative director of ADOR.
A few days later, NewJeans announced the termination of its contract with ADOR after failing to reach an agreement with their company. Although ADOR denied their claims and insisted that the group was still tied to their label by contract, NewJeans announced their intention to remain together following their exit from the company. The group plans to fight for the Nugenes trademark in court.
