The conflict between HYBE and its subsidiary label, ADOR, parent company of NewJeans, seems to be escalating day-by-day, with new developments coming to light. As per the latest one, the entertainment conglomerate has been making efforts in reaching out to the parents of NewJeans members. This action has garnered attention and speculation within the K-Pop community and beyond.
The situation became more noticeable after ADOR’s CEO, Min Hee-jin, responded firmly to HYBE’s purported efforts to contact the parents of NewJeans members. Recent reports from Korean media outlet YTN suggest that during an exclusive call with them, the CEO expressed dissatisfaction with HYBE’s attempts to reach the parents. According to her team, the parents have not been answering HYBE’s calls.
The news comes shortly after the release of the girl group’s music video for their latest B-Side track, ‘Bubble Gum,’ and amid the intense ongoing disagreement between HYBE and ADOR. The conflict began when HYBE asked ADOR’s CEO to step down from her position and accused her and one more executive of attempting to take control of ADOR’s management rights from HYBE and become independent, taking NewJeans along with them.
The conflict further intensified when Min Hee-jin and the entire team of ADOR accused another company sub-label, BELIFT Lab, of copying NewJeans’ concept and choreography for their new girl group, ILLIT. Since then, both sides have been exchanging criticisms, with Min Hee-jin even holding an emotional press conference where she disclosed private conversations with HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk and CEO Park Ji-won and explained her stance.
The disagreement between both parties continues to evolve with new developments.
