Today’s NewJeans press conference signals the start of another long battle ahead.
The group’s deadline to ADOR ended today and they have officially announced their departure from the label through a bombshell press conference.
Key Points From NewJeans Press Conference Today
On November 28, NewJeans held a press conference, where they addressed three crucial points:
- The group will officially terminate their contract with ADOR at 0:00 KST on November 29.
- Despite the contract termination, NewJeans will fulfill their scheduled work commitments.
- The members will do everything in their power to retain the group name “NewJeans” and take necessary steps to secure the rights to this name.
NewJeans members stated that the label has “neither the will nor the ability to protect” them.
They have decided not to take legal action, including filing for an injunction, regarding the validity of their exclusive contracts.
Member Danielle stated, “When Our exclusive contract is terminated, the 5 of us will no longer be artists under ADOR. We intend to break free from ADOR and pursue the activities we truly desire. However, we will proceed with the scheduled commitments that have been promised and contracted. We will also carry out all the contracted advertisements as planned.”
Minji stated, “We are terminating the contract because ADOR and HYBE have breached it. Once the contract is terminated, the exclusivity clause will no longer be in effect, so it won’t hinder our activities. Since we can continue our activities without any issues, we don’t think it’s necessary to take legal action such as filing for an injunction.”
NewJeans had alleged that a HYBE labelmate girl group ILLIT copied their concept and that they faced unfair treatment from their manager, who told them to “ignore” them. After sending a certified letter to ADOR on November 13, NewJeans ultimately announced the termination of their contract two weeks later.
Hanni stated, “We think it’s a waste of time to stay here, and our mental anguish will only grow. Most of all, we don’t think there is anything we can gain professionally from staying, so the five of us don’t see any reason to remain with ADOR.”
They expressed their wish to continue working with former CEO Min Hee Jin.
Hyein stated, “The 5 of us may not be able to use the name NewJeans for a while, regardless of our intentions. However, the essence of who we are as NewJeans will not change, and we have no intention of giving up the name NewJeans.”
Danielle added, “We will fight for the name NewJeans,” and, “No matter what happens to the name, ‘NewJeans Never Dies.’
ADOR’s Response to NewJeans Press Conference
According to Herald POP, ADOR was left in the dark about the NewJeans’ press conference and only found out about it through a news article.
In response, the label stated, “We regret that they planned and held a press conference to announce the termination of their exclusive contract without sufficient review and before responding to our certified letter. As a party to the exclusive contract, ADOR has not breached the contract. Unilaterally claiming a loss of trust is not a valid reason for termination.”
The label added, “The exclusive contract between ADOR and NewJeans members remains valid,” and “We request that they continue their scheduled activities with ADOR as usual.”
They also mentioned, “We have requested meetings with the artists several times, however they have not materialized. We hope that they will open their hearts and meet with us to have a sincere conversation.”
ADOR hoped to provide unwavering support to NewJeans’ to help them grow into global artists.