NewJeans fans have been on the edge of their seats since the HYBE-Min Hee Jin feud started.
Amidst the ongoing conflict since April, the group has increasingly shown support for former CEO Min. They have also issued an ultimatum to ADOR, threatening to terminate their contracts if their demands are not met.
On November 16, NewJeans won two awards at the 1st Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA 2024): Best Artist and 2024 Grand Artist.
During their award acceptance speech, NewJeans hinted at their uncertain future as a group and promised to meet fans with a new look and music.
They made fans emotional and hoped for them to continue as a group when Danielle said, “Even if we’re not NewJeans, NewJeans will never die.”
Hanni added, “To be honest, we do not know how long we will remain as NewJeans but the 5 of us and Bunnies (fandom name) can not be destroyed by anything, so, let’s stay close till the end.”
NewJeans sent a certified letter to ADOR on November 14, demanding rectification of contract violations within 14 days.
This includes accountability for HYBE’s abandonment decision, apology, content deletion, compensation for damages, dispute resolution, artistic identity protection, and the return of former CEO Min Hee Jin.
They threatened to terminate their contract with ADOR if their demands were not fulfilled within the deadline.
With that said, it is not the first time they have given an ultimatum to HYBE and ADOR for the reinstatement of Min Hee Jin. On September 11, they held a live YouTube video to demand that ADOR reinstate Min by September 25. However, their demands were not met as ADOR shareholders rejected the proposal.
More recently, Min Hee Jin failed to secure a court order for her reinstatement.
Uncertainty looms over NewJeans’ future as a group as they have been publicly speaking out against their label ADOR and parent company HYBE.