This morning, we saw that five organizations— the Korea Entertainment Management Association, the Korea Entertainment Producers Association, the Korea Music Label Industry Association, the Korea Record Industry Association, and the Korea Music Content Association—issued a statement to the press.
It is truly regrettable that they are making statements that undermine the fairness of the trial by presenting unconfirmed facts as if they were already determined, despite knowing full well that neither the preliminary injunction nor the main trial has even begun. As always, I ask for your understanding in advance that this may be a long message, as artists have fewer channels to express their stance compared to companies that can freely do so through associations and major media outlets.
>1.
The five organizations claim that the NJZ members are attempting to resolve what should be a private dispute through public opinion and unilateral declarations rather than negotiations or legal procedures. However, the public surely remembers who first began a media campaign by publicly spreading baseless allegations to oust the former CEO of ADOR, who was trying to address serious issues within HYBE. At that time, HYBE either deliberately fueled or turned a blind eye to the flood of news articles about absurd accusations such as “tampering” and “gaslighting” concerning NewJeans. Everyone also remembers that this media frenzy began less than a week before NewJeans’ comeback. No entertainment company would ever do such a thing just a week before their artist’s comeback. I would like to ask where the associations were and what they were doing back then.
2.
The five organizations also argue that the K-pop industry is suffering severe damage because a private dispute has been unilaterally made public and turned into a controversy. However, the real victims of this one-sided and unbalanced media coverage are the NJZ members, as well as the fans and general public who love and support music. And this harm continues even now. Furthermore, the decline in HYBE’s stock price and other losses are HYBE’s problems, not the K-pop industry’s problems. This clearly shows that these associations are merely representing the interests of a specific company under the guise of industry advocacy.
3.
The five organizations claim that mere allegations can dominate portal sites, online communities, and social media for extended periods, being accepted as truth without proper fact-checking, rebuttal, or criticism. This is the only part of their statement that is actually correct. Indeed, numerous falsehoods about NJZ members have flooded online platforms, and even now, the media continues to publish articles that solely reflect HYBE’s claims and interests, while reckless channels spread unverified opinions as if they were expert analyses. It is heartbreaking to witness individual entertainers being unable to stop this or actively defend themselves. I believe this sense of helplessness toward the associations and industry structures is something many entertainment professionals, artists, trainees, and their families also feel.
4.
The five organizations criticize NJZ members for engaging in independent activities despite not having legally terminated their exclusive contracts with ADOR. They argue that if contracts can be broken through unilateral declarations without legal protection, the foundation of the K-pop industry will collapse. However, this claim is entirely misleading and serves only to deceive the public.
From the perspective of families who have watched over their children since their trainee days—when they were all minors—it must be emphasized that there has never been an organization or space where trainees and artists could voice their grievances and seek protection despite experiencing contract breaches and internal mistreatment. They had no choice but to rely solely on the company’s morality, existing in a blind spot where their fundamental rights were not protected.
From the standpoint of the members, who have courageously decided to speak up and take legal steps despite the difficulties, it is deeply contradictory for these associations to take sides and argue solely about the instability of the industry—when, in reality, they are just advocating for corporate profits. I urge them to reflect on this inconsistency.
5.
As widely known, HYBE has openly discriminated against, attacked, and attempted to destroy NJZ members, while ADOR, a label under HYBE, neither had the ability nor the will to prevent this. In fact, as seen in the case of the attack on Dolphin Kidnappers, they even went as far as trying to dismantle the foundation of NewJeans’ entertainment career. As a result, NJZ members could no longer endure the situation and were left with no choice but to terminate their exclusive contracts. Legally, contract termination takes effect immediately, meaning that their contracts with ADOR have already ended. Therefore, from the moment of termination, the members are no longer bound by any contractual restrictions and are free to pursue their careers. This is an undeniable legal principle under Korean law.
The fact that ADOR and HYBE are now pushing for legislative changes right before the trial clearly demonstrates how unreasonable and unconvincing their contractual claims are. The statement released by these associations today raises concerns that they are not only excessively restricting individual rights but also seeking ways to impose a form of legalized violence. Their argument makes it sound as if the K-pop industry would collapse unless exclusive contracts are enforced like slave contracts.
This issue is fundamentally a dispute between a specific agency that has mistreated its artists and the artists themselves. It does not impact the K-pop industry as a whole. On the contrary, I believe the members’ courageous decision could set a precedent for a healthier and more creative industry filled with diverse artists. Furthermore, it is deeply regrettable that these associations frame pre-investments as a form of debt and take a one-sided stance. Trainees dedicate their precious youth and entire lives to this path. Therefore, the duty of good faith applies to both parties in a contract, not just one side. I hope this situation serves as an opportunity for young artists and trainees—who should be spending their brightest years pursuing their dreams—and their supportive fans to break free from exploitative practices that allow certain individuals to evade their responsibilities while solely chasing profit.
breadaurchai on
Everything will be slowly revealed in the coming months. I’m sure this legal battle will be dragged till 2026. Court cases take time, newjeans/ njz case is really complicated.
As a fan of their music and content, I’ll wait patiently and support their activities.
SigmaKnight on
4 and 5 there got some teeth to them.
cerota on
I kind of wish they hadn’t mentioned rumors, because it’s hard to trust journalists when their outlets run smear campaigns at request, and there’s potential for these things to be false (thereby make NJZ PR look bad). But we will see if this was publicized in order to force HYBE to let NJZ book their own gigs by calling their tactics out. I don’t know.
JGxFighterHayabusa on
It’s always about money and power. These corps. continue to tarnish their own reputation. Hopefully, history will credit NJZ for being key players in changing the K-Pop business for good. NJZ forever.
5 Comments
[1](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGPuhDky9dA/) | [2](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGPunzWyq0D/) | [3](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGPuuIQSYrt/) | [trans by @newjeans_loop](https://x.com/newjeans_loop/status/1892114302443917340?s=46):
>Hello.
This morning, we saw that five organizations— the Korea Entertainment Management Association, the Korea Entertainment Producers Association, the Korea Music Label Industry Association, the Korea Record Industry Association, and the Korea Music Content Association—issued a statement to the press.
It is truly regrettable that they are making statements that undermine the fairness of the trial by presenting unconfirmed facts as if they were already determined, despite knowing full well that neither the preliminary injunction nor the main trial has even begun. As always, I ask for your understanding in advance that this may be a long message, as artists have fewer channels to express their stance compared to companies that can freely do so through associations and major media outlets.
>1.
The five organizations claim that the NJZ members are attempting to resolve what should be a private dispute through public opinion and unilateral declarations rather than negotiations or legal procedures. However, the public surely remembers who first began a media campaign by publicly spreading baseless allegations to oust the former CEO of ADOR, who was trying to address serious issues within HYBE. At that time, HYBE either deliberately fueled or turned a blind eye to the flood of news articles about absurd accusations such as “tampering” and “gaslighting” concerning NewJeans. Everyone also remembers that this media frenzy began less than a week before NewJeans’ comeback. No entertainment company would ever do such a thing just a week before their artist’s comeback. I would like to ask where the associations were and what they were doing back then.
2.
The five organizations also argue that the K-pop industry is suffering severe damage because a private dispute has been unilaterally made public and turned into a controversy. However, the real victims of this one-sided and unbalanced media coverage are the NJZ members, as well as the fans and general public who love and support music. And this harm continues even now. Furthermore, the decline in HYBE’s stock price and other losses are HYBE’s problems, not the K-pop industry’s problems. This clearly shows that these associations are merely representing the interests of a specific company under the guise of industry advocacy.
3.
The five organizations claim that mere allegations can dominate portal sites, online communities, and social media for extended periods, being accepted as truth without proper fact-checking, rebuttal, or criticism. This is the only part of their statement that is actually correct. Indeed, numerous falsehoods about NJZ members have flooded online platforms, and even now, the media continues to publish articles that solely reflect HYBE’s claims and interests, while reckless channels spread unverified opinions as if they were expert analyses. It is heartbreaking to witness individual entertainers being unable to stop this or actively defend themselves. I believe this sense of helplessness toward the associations and industry structures is something many entertainment professionals, artists, trainees, and their families also feel.
4.
The five organizations criticize NJZ members for engaging in independent activities despite not having legally terminated their exclusive contracts with ADOR. They argue that if contracts can be broken through unilateral declarations without legal protection, the foundation of the K-pop industry will collapse. However, this claim is entirely misleading and serves only to deceive the public.
From the perspective of families who have watched over their children since their trainee days—when they were all minors—it must be emphasized that there has never been an organization or space where trainees and artists could voice their grievances and seek protection despite experiencing contract breaches and internal mistreatment. They had no choice but to rely solely on the company’s morality, existing in a blind spot where their fundamental rights were not protected.
From the standpoint of the members, who have courageously decided to speak up and take legal steps despite the difficulties, it is deeply contradictory for these associations to take sides and argue solely about the instability of the industry—when, in reality, they are just advocating for corporate profits. I urge them to reflect on this inconsistency.
5.
As widely known, HYBE has openly discriminated against, attacked, and attempted to destroy NJZ members, while ADOR, a label under HYBE, neither had the ability nor the will to prevent this. In fact, as seen in the case of the attack on Dolphin Kidnappers, they even went as far as trying to dismantle the foundation of NewJeans’ entertainment career. As a result, NJZ members could no longer endure the situation and were left with no choice but to terminate their exclusive contracts. Legally, contract termination takes effect immediately, meaning that their contracts with ADOR have already ended. Therefore, from the moment of termination, the members are no longer bound by any contractual restrictions and are free to pursue their careers. This is an undeniable legal principle under Korean law.
The fact that ADOR and HYBE are now pushing for legislative changes right before the trial clearly demonstrates how unreasonable and unconvincing their contractual claims are. The statement released by these associations today raises concerns that they are not only excessively restricting individual rights but also seeking ways to impose a form of legalized violence. Their argument makes it sound as if the K-pop industry would collapse unless exclusive contracts are enforced like slave contracts.
This issue is fundamentally a dispute between a specific agency that has mistreated its artists and the artists themselves. It does not impact the K-pop industry as a whole. On the contrary, I believe the members’ courageous decision could set a precedent for a healthier and more creative industry filled with diverse artists. Furthermore, it is deeply regrettable that these associations frame pre-investments as a form of debt and take a one-sided stance. Trainees dedicate their precious youth and entire lives to this path. Therefore, the duty of good faith applies to both parties in a contract, not just one side. I hope this situation serves as an opportunity for young artists and trainees—who should be spending their brightest years pursuing their dreams—and their supportive fans to break free from exploitative practices that allow certain individuals to evade their responsibilities while solely chasing profit.
Everything will be slowly revealed in the coming months. I’m sure this legal battle will be dragged till 2026. Court cases take time, newjeans/ njz case is really complicated.
As a fan of their music and content, I’ll wait patiently and support their activities.
4 and 5 there got some teeth to them.
I kind of wish they hadn’t mentioned rumors, because it’s hard to trust journalists when their outlets run smear campaigns at request, and there’s potential for these things to be false (thereby make NJZ PR look bad). But we will see if this was publicized in order to force HYBE to let NJZ book their own gigs by calling their tactics out. I don’t know.
It’s always about money and power. These corps. continue to tarnish their own reputation. Hopefully, history will credit NJZ for being key players in changing the K-Pop business for good. NJZ forever.