The NJZ vs ADOR injunction hearing on Friday brought back the debate about whether HYBE favors LE SSERAFIM. Since the HYBE-ADOR conflict began last year, the girl group received criticism from NewJeans (rebranded as NJZ) fans for being unfairly favored by the entertainment agency.
There were claims that LE SSERAFIM was rushed to debut earlier than NewJeans to become HYBE’s first K-pop girl group. Also, they received preferential treatment when it came to securing brand partnerships.
Allegations emerged in 2024 that HYBE attempted to obtain a Louis Vuitton brand partnership for LE SSERAFIM, which was reportedly also being considered for NewJeans.
SOURCE MUSIC has repeatedly denied these claims and filed a lawsuit against former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin for making these baseless allegations. The label once again set the record straight when NJZ brought up the allegations in the recent court hearing.
On March 7, SOURCE MUSIC denied the claims through an official statement, stating,
“We would like to address and clarify certain claims made about our company and artists that are not grounded in facts.
LE SSERAFIM did not receive any preferential treatment or unfair advantages in the process of being selected as brand ambassadors for a specific brand. The collaboration began in April 2022 when Sakura signed a contract with the brand. At the time, the collaboration was mutually satisfactory, and it was started by discussing the possibility of expansion to team-level ambassador through the Japanese office of the brand. This was pursued and established independently, without relation to other artists, and can be substantiated with objective evidence.
Additionally, claims about NewJeans’ debut timeline and process are also significantly different from facts. We provided full support for the NewJeans members in their debut preparations. However, former CEO Min Hee-jin spread false information during a press conference last April, and we filed a damages lawsuit against her in July.
We deeply regret that these unilateral claims were made without verifying facts, and we expect the legal process to correct these baseless allegations. Bringing up an artist’s real name based on unverified information is an irresponsible and serious act that should never be done to any artist. Such one-sided claims not only subject fellow artists to criticism but also spread misinformation to fans and the public.
We take this situation very seriously and will take all necessary legal measures to rectify these claims.”
SOURCE MUSIC, March 7, 2025
SOURCE MUSIC has been actively taking legal action against malicious commenters and people spreading misinformation against LE SSERAFIM members. Some individuals were taken to court, and they received fines of up to 2 million won.
SOURCE MUSIC along with BELIFT LAB has sued operators of 7 YouTube channels and identified an organization behind them. These channels spread hate and misinformation targeted at LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT.
On the work front, LE SSRRAFIM will release a mini-album “HOT” next week, on Friday 14. They have announced their first world tour “EASY CRAZY HOT”, which begins in April.
