Chart-topping K-pop group New Jeans have said they are leaving after accusing their agency of “misbehavior” and “manipulation”.
The five-member girl band announced their split from Ador, a subsidiary of powerhouse label Hybe, at a press conference late Thursday night.
Adore, however, has maintained that its contract with NewGenes is still intact, as the agency has not breached any terms.
The dispute is the latest development in a long-running feud between former New Genes producer Min Hee-jin and Hyebe chairman Bang Si-hyuk, which has been making headlines in South Korea.
Honey, a member of the group, has made this allegation. He faced harassment at the workplace When working with labels.
“That’s not the kind of work ethic we respect and don’t want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company that has no intention of protecting new genes,” Honey said. will only hurt us,” Haney said.
He added that the group had suffered abuse “not only from us but also from our staff”, adding that the group had suffered “deliberate miscommunication and manipulation in a number of areas”.
Adore says its contract with NewGen’s is valid because it has not breached its duty and has asked the group to “continue its activities” with the agency.
“A unilateral claim that trust has broken down does not constitute a valid basis for terminating a contract,” Adore said in a statement after the group’s announcement.
“We regret that the press conference about terminating the contract took place without sufficient consideration, and before we had given our response to the demand letter,” the agency said.
New Genes said they would like to work with Min, the group’s former mastermind who left Adore in August after allegations that he planned to take New Genes with him and split from Hybe. was
This would have made NewJeans and AdWords independent of Hyb. Mann has denied the allegations leveled against him.
He is First accused Hybe Another girl group, Illit, was imitating the music and appearance of New Gens.
On November 13, NewGen’s filed a legal notice with Adore demanding that the company resolve violations of its exclusivity agreements within 14 days.
They said that failure to meet their demands would result in the termination of their contracts.
The group apologized for comments allegedly made by an executive at Belift Lab, another subsidiary of Hybe, and accused the company of workplace bullying. He has also asked for the immediate restoration of Manna.
He added that he would fulfill his contractual obligations, but warned fans at the conference that he would not be able to use the band’s name once the contract was up.
Prior to New Jeans’ announcement, the band had committed to a seven-year deal, which will expire in 2029.
The contract contains a clause that specifies that the parties can unilaterally terminate the contract if the other has breached its duty. However, due to the lack of agreement between the two parties, the matter is likely to go to court. In such a case, a judge will decide whether the contract can be terminated and if one party has caused any harm to the other.
In October, K-pop news site Koreaboo speculated that the members would have to. Pay about 300 billion South Korean won. (around £170m) to close the deal early.
But Herrin, the group’s singer, said it “makes no sense” that the group would be liable to pay breach of contract fees.
“We never broke any rules,” Herrin said. “We did nothing but try our best – they are at fault. Hybe and Ador are responsible.”
Ador said it had not “breached” the terms of the agreement, adding that it “respectfully requests that the group continue its cooperation with Ador on future activities”.
“Despite multiple requests for meetings with artists, our efforts have not been successful. We hope members will now be willing to participate in open and honest discussions,” he said, referring to New Jeans.
The group has been embroiled in a year-long controversy with audits and sensational allegations that have made headlines in South Korea.
In October, one of the group’s members, Hani, 20, testified at a hearing before the Labor Committee of South Korea’s National Assembly. Harassment in the workplace.
He alleged that entertainment agency Hybe deliberately undermined his band, and accused senior managers of deliberately ignoring him.
After several incidents, he said: “I realized it wasn’t just a feeling. I honestly believed the company hated us.”
Hybe shares were trading about 3% lower in early morning trading in Seoul.
NewJeans debuted in 2022 and is one of Hybe’s most successful K-pop groups along with BTS.
With slick pop hits including Super Shy and OMG, New Jeans were the eighth best-selling act in the world last year, and were nominated for Best Group at that year’s MTV Awards.
Formed by Adore in 2022, its five members – Minji, Hani, Daniel, Harien and Hin – are between the ages of 16 and 20.