In the quickly intensifying HYBE-ADOR drama, many artists and fandoms are picking sides.
On September 14, BTS’ youngest member Jungkook showed his support for NewJeans with a comment on his dog Bam’s Instagram account.
He commented the five Power Ranger emojis representing NewJeans with a caption, “Artists are not guilty.” A few hours later, he made another post captioned, “Do not use them.”
A few hours after the post was made, BIGHIT MUSIC informed My Daily, stating, “We confirmed [with Jungkook] that the post was uploaded with the thought that, under any circumstances, young artists should not be dragged into controversy and used as shields.”
Jungkook’s post grabbed significant attention and many fans praised him for putting out his opinion so bravely.
Notably, NewJeans had earlier criticized ADOR’s parent company, HYBE, during an unscheduled emergency live broadcast on September 11. In the broadcast, the NewJeans members called for HYBE to restore ADOR to its original form by September 25. They specifically requested the reinstatement of former CEO Min Hee Jin.
Min Hee Jin was removed from the CEO position last month, with Kim Joo Young taking over as the new ADOR CEO. Min accused HYBE of unilateral dismissal and limiting her production contract to two months. She has filed an injunction application to reinstate internal directors and herself as a CEO.