On Sept. 11, popular K-pop girl group NewJeans secretly went live on YouTube to address the scandal involving their entertainment company, HYBE, firing the CEO of the independent label they work under, ADOR. In the live, titled “What NewJeans Wanted to Say”, NewJeans, known for their chic Y2K style and acclaimed title tracks like “Super Shy” and “Ditto,” sat around a table wearing dark and monotonous colors, expressing their true feelings about HYBE.
In April, HYBE accused ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin of breaching trust and attempting a coup to take over ADOR with outside investors. Min denied HYBE’s claims, but despite doing so, Min suffered legal allegations and lawsuits before HYBE eventually dismissed her as CEO on Aug. 27. The five members of NewJeans—Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, Hyein, and Minji—believe HYBE made a mistake in firing their longtime manager and producer. “She is integral to NewJeans’ identity, and we all feel she is irreplaceable,” Danielle explains in the live. “We were just doing our best for our dreams. Did we do something wrong?”
NewJeans communicated their worry, helplessness, and unhappiness with the company’s poor management during the live stream. “I felt that the person that was protecting us was gone,” Hanni says. She states that HYBE lacked respect for the members and constantly made excuses for their indifference. At the end of the thirty-minute live stream, NewJeans asked HYBE to restore Min as CEO by Sept. 25.
The group’s unexpected protest shocked many K-pop fans. In an industry where idols need to appear perfect, NewJeans exposed themselves to everyone’s criticism. Additionally, as the deadline of Sept. 25 passed, HYBE publicly denied NewJeans’ plea, claiming Min was not eligible for the CEO position.
NewJeans’ uncertain future caused many fans to speculate about their disbandment. Numerous old music videos and content have disappeared from YouTube channels outside of NewJean and HYBE, and their upcoming album has been postponed. Despite the confusion surrounding the situation, many fans support the members, with JungKook of BTS and Shin Woo-seok of Dolphin Kidnapping, a music video production company that ADOR removed content from, defending NewJeans through social media.
More updates to be anticipated.
