All five members of NewJeans have purportedly submitted a petition to the Seoul Central District Court on Friday, May 17, expressing solidarity with their label’s CEO, Min Hee-jin. The agency, ADOR, is currently embroiled in a dispute with its parent company, HYBE Labels.
Although specifics of the petition letter backing ADOR CEO, Min Hee-jin are undisclosed, it underscores the group’s support amidst the ongoing feud, which seems to be getting messier and messier.
Media reporters discovered that court documents from the May 17 hearing listed petition letters submitted by the five members: Danielle Marsh, Kim Minji, Hanni Pham, Kang Haerin, and Lee Hyein.
This marks the first instance where the members of NewJeans have articulated their stances on the HYBE vs. ADOR dispute through legal documentation since its publicized emergence.
Before this development, only the parents of the band’s members openly sided with Min Hee-jin against HYBE’s CEO, Bang Si-hyuk. They accused him of alleged exploitation and mistreatment towards the group. The email detailing the incident also cited instances of blatant plagiarism by another subsidiary label’s group, ILLIT, and ongoing efforts to undermine NewJeans, and bring down their recognition.
Responding to the petition filed, a representative from HYBE had stated, “Min Hee-jin has no interest in protecting the artists. If she truly considers herself the ‘Mother of NewJeans,’ she would act as a shield and stand in front of them to protect them from hardships; however, she is instead using the members as a shield to protect herself,” as per Allkpop.
Meanwhile, to keep their voting rights at ADOR’s upcoming shareholder’s meeting on May 31, HYBE needs to have solid evidence that Min Hee-jin did things that justify removing her from the position of CEO. If HYBE can’t prove why they want to remove her, she can retain her position for up to 5 years.
