Members of girl group NewJeans said they will leave their agency ADOR and fight to keep their name in an emergency press conference on Thursday night.

“We are not going to give up on our name, NewJeans, but we will still remain NewJeans at heart even if we can’t keep our name,” member Hyein said.


“Some people may think it is just a name or that we’re simply fighting for copyright, but it’s not that simple for us. For us, it is the very body of everything that we did together, every memory we had, which is why we are going to fight until the end to secure our right to the name.”

The girl group convened an emergency press conference that began at 8:30 p.m. in southern Seoul on Thursday, the final day of the 14-day ultimatum the girl group gave its agency ADOR earlier this month. Over a hundred reporters were present despite the short two-hour notice given to the press.

The members read out their group statement, claiming that their exclusive contracts with the agency will end as of midnight because ADOR and HYBE failed to meet their needs and therefore forfeit their right as the agency to the artists. HYBE owns 78 percent of ADOR.

The members further claimed that because ADOR and HYBE refused to make the changes that the members demanded earlier this month within the 14-day timeline, “the exclusive contracts become terminated” and the members do not need to file for an injunction at court.

“HYBE and ADOR are the ones who breached the contract, which is why we’re terminating the deal,” Minji said. “We have asked them time and again to meet our needs and we sent the official papers. We are following the legitimate process and terminating the contracts.”

“We never broke any rules,” Haerin said. “We did nothing but try our best. It makes no sense that we have to pay them the contract breach fee. They are the ones at fault. HYBE and ADOR are the ones responsible.”

When further asked by reporters whether the members’ argument was legally sound, the PR agency cut the questions short and said that further announcements would be made after consultations with their attorneys.

The 14-day ultimatum was sent to ADOR on Nov. 13, which the company received on Nov. 14. NewJeans had sent an official list of changes it demanded from its agency ADOR to be made within 14 days of receiving the paper document, which means that ADOR had until Thursday afternoon to send its written response and an electronic file before midnight to NewJeans.

ADOR sent its response to the girl group’s demands in paper on Thursday afternoon and via email at 7 p.m. on Thursday. NewJeans’ PR agency sent out the email summoning reporters at 6 p.m., before the members could read the content of the email.

The members “didn’t need to read the email because ADOR and HYBE would have already made the changes if they really wanted to.”

“If they wanted to make the changes that we asked, they would have done so — not just talk about it, like they’re doing now,” Hyein said. “We knew that they weren’t going to make the changes so we decided to hold this press conference because we knew that our loving and supporting fans would only feel more confused as time went on.”

The list of things demanded by NewJeans included getting an apology from Belift Lab for having a manager tell its artist to “ignore” NewJeans’ member Hanni in May this year and reinstating former CEO of ADOR Min Hee-jin. HYBE had already hinted at the fact that it would not bring Min back as the CEO.

Min said that she will quit ADOR on Nov. 20.

Members were “welcome to the idea of working with Min anywhere she is,” but did not specify whether or not they had any specific plans worked out with Min.

“We would like to work with Min Hee-jin if that is possible,” Minji said. “But we are going to carry out all the activities we are scheduled to, including the advertisements.”

Minji emphasized that the whole brawl with ADOR, and perhaps Min’s conflict with HYBE at large, all began due to the lack of respect between people.

“It is courage that changes the world,” Minji said. “Only people who have the will to change their lives get to. We are here because of the fans, the Bunnies that love us, the members and Min Hee-jin. We know that our decision to protect all five of us will not come easy, but nothing gets better if you don’t stand up for yourself.”

“We hope that people get to work and live, whether that be in a school or a workplace, where they respect each other without harassment,” she added.

NewJeans will disclose the content of ADOR’s letters to the press on Friday morning, the members said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]