2025-02-19 NJZ_PR Statement

English Translation (@juantokki): https://x.com/juantokki/status/1892138791047225664

Statement Regarding the Appeal Letter from NJZ PR (NewJeans' Parents' Association)

Hello,

This morning, I 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 an appeal letter through the media.

It is deeply regrettable that they have made statements that undermine the fairness of the trial by treating unconfirmed claims as established facts, even though the preliminary injunction and main proceedings have not yet begun. As always, I acknowledge that companies can freely express their positions through associations and major media channels, whereas artists have very few avenues to voice their stance. I ask for your understanding as this will be a lengthy response.

1.

The five organizations claim that NJZ members are avoiding resolving their disputes through private negotiations or legal procedures, instead attempting to sway public opinion with unilateral declarations. However, the public will surely remember who first resorted to media manipulation by spreading baseless allegations to oust the former CEO of ADOR, who had been trying to address HYBE’s serious internal issues. At that time, HYBE either deliberately fueled or allowed an overflow of misleading media reports accusing NewJeans of “tampering” and “gaslighting.” Furthermore, this media onslaught began just one week before NewJeans' comeback—a timing that no agency would ever choose for their own artists. I would like to ask where these associations were and what they were doing at that time.

2.

The five organizations argue that the K-pop industry is suffering severe damage because one party has unilaterally made a private dispute public, turning it into a controversy. However, the ones who have suffered the most due to this one-sided and unbalanced media coverage are the NJZ members, as well as the fans and the public who love and support music. Even now, the damage continues. Additionally, the decline in HYBE’s stock price and other financial losses are HYBE’s problems, not the K-pop industry’s. This statement clearly reveals that these associations are merely representing the interests of a specific company under the guise of industry-wide concerns.

3.

The five organizations claim that mere allegations can dominate search portals, online communities, and social media for an extended period, becoming accepted as truth without proper fact-checking or counterarguments. This is the only part of their statement that is true—and indeed, this is exactly what has happened to NJZ members. Countless false claims have flooded search portals, online communities, and social media, while the media continues to churn out articles that align solely with HYBE’s narrative and interests. On top of that, reckless content creators are presenting baseless personal opinions as expert analyses. Yet individual celebrities have no means to stop this, nor can they actively protect themselves. Witnessing this reality is heartbreaking. I believe this sense of helplessness is shared by many in the entertainment industry, including artists, trainees, and their families, as they face the structural limitations of the associations and the industry itself.

4.

The five organizations accuse NJZ members of engaging in independent activities despite not having legally terminated their exclusive contracts with ADOR. They argue that if contracts can be nullified by unilateral declarations rather than legal protection, the K-pop industry will lose its foundation for sustainability. However, this is a completely false claim intended to mislead the public.

From the perspective of their families, who have watched over them since their trainee days—when all members were minors—the reality was that trainees and artists had no organizations or spaces where they could report unfair treatment or seek protection. Despite facing contract violations and internal mistreatment, they had no choice but to rely entirely on the company’s ethics. This reveals the blind spot in their basic rights.

The NJZ members have bravely spoken out through the proper legal process, despite the hardships they face. Given this, it is contradictory for the associations to take sides and argue about the supposed instability of the industry, which, in reality, is simply the financial loss of a single company. This contradiction should not be overlooked.

5.

As widely known, HYBE has openly discriminated against, attacked, and attempted to ostracize NJZ members. ADOR, a HYBE-affiliated label, neither had the ability nor the willingness to protect them; in fact, it even sought to dismantle NewJeans' career foundation, as seen in the case of the attack on Dolphiners Crew (돌고래유괴단). Faced with such circumstances, NJZ members had no choice but to terminate their exclusive contracts. Since contract termination takes immediate legal effect, their contracts with ADOR have already ended. Therefore, the members are no longer bound by contractual restrictions and are free to continue their activities. This is a fundamental legal principle in Korean law.

The fact that ADOR and HYBE are now pushing for legislative changes ahead of the trial only underscores how unreasonable and unconvincing their contractual claims are. The statement issued by these associations today raises concerns that, rather than ensuring fair rights, they are instead seeking to enforce excessive constraints on individuals—essentially legitimizing a form of institutionalized coercion. Their argument implies that the K-pop industry would collapse unless exclusive contracts function like modern-day slavery, which is an alarming stance.

At its core, this case is a dispute between a specific entertainment agency and its artists over unfair treatment. It is not an issue that affects the entire K-pop industry. In fact, the courage of these members could set a precedent for a healthier and more creative K-pop industry, where diverse artists can thrive. Additionally, it is disappointing to see these associations portray pre-investment in trainees as if it were a simple creditor-debtor relationship. Trainees dedicate their precious youth and their entire future to this career path. The duty of good faith and fair dealing is an obligation for both parties in a contract, not just one side. I hope this situation serves as a turning point where young artists, trainees, and their supporters no longer have to waste their valuable time due to people who exploit harmful industry practices while failing to fulfill their own responsibilities.

6.

While drafting this response, a journalist provided me with new information: The five associations are not stopping at issuing a statement today. They are planning to hold a press conference on February 27 (Thursday) at the JW Marriott Hotel, inviting numerous reporters. I also heard that they are offering a lunch option at this event. Given that the cost of a meal at JW Marriott starts at a minimum of 100,000 KRW, I wonder whether journalists will be able to attend under the Kim Young-ran Act (Anti-Graft Law). This raises questions about whether such a blatant attempt to influence the media is even feasible in practice.

Moreover, I understand that after distributing their statement in the morning, these five associations reissued the exact same statement around 1 PM. What was their intention in republishing an unchanged statement on the same day? If this isn't media manipulation, then what is?

I respectfully request that these five organizations cease their efforts to manipulate public opinion by acting as mouthpieces for a particular entertainment agency, just as they themselves stated in their appeal. If they truly care about the sustainable growth of the K-pop industry, they should focus on addressing the fundamental problem: the way certain agencies treat their artists as disposable commodities, mere tools for profit. This issue will ultimately be resolved through the courts.

7.

Not long ago, a representative from ComplexCon, who has been assisting with our performance preparations, informed us that HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk personally called U.S. officials in an attempt to pressure them into canceling NJZ members' performance. Would it be too far-fetched to suspect that today’s sudden statement from the five associations is somehow related to this? I felt deeply uncomfortable and outraged. It became clear to me that HYBE has not changed at all—they still see the members merely as money-making tools, showing no support for their success and instead trying to obstruct and destroy them. I have also been informed that ADOR has made multiple attempts to interfere as well.

Chairman Bang, in April 2024, we sent a protest email and requested a response from you, but you have yet to reply. If you have so much to say, why not call us directly instead of reaching out to others? Why are you, as the chairman of HYBE, personally intervening in a dispute that supposedly only concerns ADOR? Do you still believe you can claim that HYBE and ADOR are separate entities?

NJZ members are scheduled to perform at the upcoming ComplexCon event in Hong Kong. Having finally broken free from the nightmare of HYBE and ADOR, they are thrilled and excited to showcase a new side of themselves to fans around the world. Despite these obstruction attempts, the Hong Kong ComplexCon performance will proceed as planned. We kindly ask all fans to continue showing their passionate support and encouragement.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long message. As always, I sincerely apologize for any disturbance this may have caused. Wishing you a warm and pleasant day.