The ongoing conflict between HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has been going on for the past five months and now it has forced the members of NewJeans to speak about it publicly. NewJeans is one of the artists represented by ADOR among others. The artists of the group took to the fan communication platform Phoning to share their thoughts about the conflict.

NewJeans members break silence over conflict

Minji from NewJeans spoke about the ongoing conflict between HYBE and their conflict with Min Hee Jin on Monday, September 2 (KST). She said, “It’s been almost a week since I wanted to share with you all the things that have been happening, but I couldn’t. I wanted to tell the many Bunnies who came to check on us and comfort us that we’re okay and offer comfort in return, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it this time.”

She also expressed the frustration oozing from all the drama. She said, “I feel so sorry that we’re going through unnecessary hardships when we could be spending our time sharing only good stories. I feel so frustrated that I can’t resolve anything. I don’t know how long these anxious days will last, and I know it might be selfish to say this, but I really hope that our Bunnies and we won’t have to go through tough times anymore.”

Danielle also expressed her thoughts on the matter as she said, “Honestly, since CEO Min Hee Jin was dismissed, it has been very tough, and I’ve had a lot on my mind. I was in a bit of a state of shock for a while and felt very anxious.”

Hanni, another prominent member of the K-pop group shared a song to express herself about the conflict. Ahead of performing the song, she said, “I started creating this song back in April or May of this year. At the time, the Bunnies, the members, the CEO, and I were all struggling, and I wanted to comfort everyone and heal their wounds. A few weeks ago, I sent it to the CEO from afar as a way of offering comfort,” as reported by All Kpop.

Conflict between HYBE and Min Hee Jin

The conflict began earlier this year in April when HYBE accused ADOR CEO of an attempt to take over the management rights of the company. The agency filed a lawsuit against Min Hee Jin for breach of duty but the latter termed the allegations ‘Groundless’.

Another set of allegations emerged that Min tried to cover up a sexual harassment incident which resulted in her removal from the CEO position and was replaced by Kim Ju Young. Min was to remain as an internal director and continue producing for NewJeans, however, she disputed the terms of her contract.

In addition to this, director Shin Woo Seok announced he could no longer work with ADOR as he claimed the company sought to remove all NewJeans-related videos, which ADOR clarified was only to remove unauthorized content.