Full timeline of NewJeans’ legal and emotional saga
The date is 22 July 2022: a K-pop girl group of five individuals known as NewJeans breaks the Internet with their debut, “New Jeans”, an album that broke the record for the highest number of pre-orders of any girl group in the history of K-pop.
The group, made up of members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, proceeded to steal the hearts of K-pop fans worldwide, including myself.
I, for one, have never been an avid listener of K-pop despite being a Korean native—that is, until I added NewJeans to my Spotify playlist. Their entrance into this cookie-cutter entertainment industry felt like a breath of fresh air, and it was the first time a girl group had captivated my attention, funnily enough, with their song titled “Attention”. Since their successful debut, it was all glitz and glamour—or so I thought—until 22 April 2024, when things started to go down a legal rabbit hole. This article addresses the conflicts between NewJeans and their agency, up to the point when the girl group terminated their contracts.
Since its beginnings in May, the NewJeans saga has gripped the Internet. The buzz isn’t contained among K-pop consumers either. Global music publications like Billboard, NME, and Vulture are locked in on the drama.
If you’re not dialled in on K-pop but still want the tea, we understand that all the jargon and the continuous back-and-forth between NewJeans and their agency, ADOR can be overwhelming. So, we’re here to help break down the drama with a detailed timeline of the NewJeans saga, from their fateful livestream video to them calling it quits with ADOR.
Before I get down to the nitty-gritty, here are two names you want to remember: HYBE, the parent company of ADOR, and Min Hee-jin. The former is one of Korea’s giant record labels with several subsidiaries and is home to big names such as BTS, Seventeen, and LE SSERAFIM. On the other hand, Hee-jin used to be ADOR’s CEO, and more importantly, has been the biggest influence on NewJeans’ career to date.
A visual timeline of the NewJeans and HYBE saga
22 April 2024: HYBE asks ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to step down
Prior to 22 April 2024, there was a bit of hoo-ha online revolving around Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR, and her plans to be in full control of the agency and NewJeans.
On 22 April 2024, HYBE calls for an audit of ADOR and a shareholder meeting with one goal in mind: to get Hee-jin to step down as CEO.
25 April 2024: Min Hee-jin’s viral press conference
3 days later, Hee-jin’s press conference was due.
Before her viral public appearance and tearful statement, HYBE announced they would report her to the police for trying to take over the control of ADOR.
During the press conference, several journalists asked Hee-jin about her intention to seize control of ADOR, which Hee-jin denied.
17 May 2024: NewJeans steps up and stands up for Min Hee-jin
All 5 members of NewJeans have always expressed their support for Hee-jin despite the ongoing predicament. Their unwavering support was solidified on 17 May 2024, when the girl group took their first legal action by filing a plea letter to the court. The letter’s contents remain unrevealed to the public.
30 May 2024: Court rules that Hee-jin can remain CEO
Due to the lack of evidence from HYBE for Hee-jin’s discharge, the court ruled that she could continue as ADOR’s CEO. At this point, NewJeans continues supporting Hee-jin, indicating they are on her side.
27 August 2024: Min Hee-jin steps down from her CEO position
Less than 3 months after the court ruled in favour of Hee-jin, she made the shocking decision to resign from her CEO role. In her official statement, she cites HYBE’s “moral decay” and its “ugly lies and hypocrisy” as reasons for her resignation. She also mentioned that HR specialist Kim Ju-young would take over her position.
The members of NewJeans were upset by the situation, expressing their frustration on a fan community app called Phoning.
11 September 2024: NewJeans’ shocking YouTube livestream
About 2 weeks have passed since the news of Hee-jin’s resignation. On 11 September 2024, NewJeans finally took matters into their own hands by going live on YouTube for 27 minutes. This is the fateful livestream that shook the Internet.
Two key things were discussed during the rather sombre livestream: the girls demanded Hee-jin’s reinstatement as CEO and shared alleged mistreatment at their toxic workplace.
In NewJeans’ Minji’s words, the members “feel that she is irreplaceable”, corroborating their demand for Hee-jin’s return. She added, “We hope that HYBE makes the wise choice to reinstate Hee-jin as the CEO of ADOR by 25 September.”
As for the alleged hostility and toxic work environment, Hanni cited a few examples: a manager of another girl group under the label told them to ignore Hanni when she was getting her hair and makeup done. HYBE employees were also criticising NewJeans on a communications app called Blind.
This unexpected livestream took the Internet by storm as it was the first case of a K-pop group going against their record label.
25 September 2024: Min Hee-jin is reinstated as an internal director instead of the CEO
ADOR rejected NewJeans’ demand to reinstate Hee-jin as the CEO. Instead, she was brought back as an internal director, which meant 2 things: she would be a part of the company’s board and she could produce for NewJeans for the following 5 years.
15 October 2024: Hanni testifies at the National Assembly
On 15 October 2024, NewJeans’ Hanni was present at the National Assembly to testify about her experiences with workplace harassment at ADOR. Similar to what she had shared during the livestream, Hanni tearfully stated the hostile treatment from a fellow girl group, saying she didn’t understand why she was being ignored by them.
Hanni’s presence at the National Assembly was groundbreaking as it was the first time a K-pop girl group member had attended an audit, speaking up for herself and her fellow members on a national legal platform.
Her testimonies are important because they reflect the mistreatment K-pop idols go through behind closed doors, which is often swept under the rug for fear that their careers might be in jeopardy if they speak up.
Hanni’s attendance at the National Assembly also indicates the power of standing your ground, even when you might lose everything—career, reputation, and a solid fan base.
14 November 2024: NewJeans states they will leave ADOR if contract breaches aren’t rectified in 14 days
According to The Korea Times, NewJeans continued their demands against ADOR, issuing a document demanding the agency “rectify all grave breaches of the exclusive contracts within 14 days of receipt”. NewJeans added that they would terminate their exclusive contracts with the ADOR if the contract breaches weren’t rectified in time.
20 November 2024: Min Hee-jin steps down as the internal director and NewJeans’ workplace harassment allegations are dismissed
20 November 2024 saw a series of events: starting with Hee-jin’s announcement to resign from her position as internal director. She added that she would be terminating the shareholder agreement with HYBE, and would start taking legal action against the unlawful activities that had taken place behind closed doors in the company.
Following this, the South Korean Labour Ministry announced that NewJeans’ allegations of workplace harassment were dismissed. This was due to what I’d call a classification mismatch: given that Hanni is a K-pop idol, she isn’t legally classified as an employee under the current labour laws in South Korea. The nature of her contract with the agency makes her what the government would label, an “exceptional entity”.
28 November 2024: NewJeans terminates contracts with ADOR
The most shocking day through NewJeans’ conflict with HYBE was 28 November 2024, when the girl group held an emergency press conference to announce that they would terminate their contract with ADOR. Their decision resulted from ADOR’s failure to resolve the breaches of their contracts within 14 days.
During the press conference, Danielle stated, “We will continue to fight for NewJeans. Regardless of our name, just remember that NewJeans never dies.”
After the press conference, ADOR denied NewJeans’ allegations and stressed that the contract “remains in full effect”.
6 December 2024:
NewJeans stood firm on their right to terminate their contracts, claiming that they have been harassed by their agency since they separated ways.
As with all legal proceedings, it’ll take months—and sometimes years—for the NewJeans x HYBE saga to come to a conclusion. The contracts are currently being reviewed, and we’re awaiting follow-ups on the girl group’s departure from the agency, as well as NewJeans’ next chapter.
A tragic end or the start of something new?
The biggest question at the time of writing is whether NewJeans will get to retain their girl group’s name and continue to promote their music as a group of 5. No one has the answer to this question, but as a fan of their music, I hope they possess the tenacity to fight this through, and potentially effect real change with the K-pop industry’s treatment of its artistes.
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