NewJeans and the ADOR-HYBE Dispute: A K-Pop Industry Overview
In March 2024, the K-pop girl group NewJeans received the group of the year award at Billboard's Women in Music event. Their 2023 EP, Get Up, made NewJeans the second K-pop girl group to top the Billboard 200 chart. The group, formed by ADOR, a sub-label of HYBE, had been noted for an understated performance style, cohesive aesthetic, and a musical approach that aimed for timelessness rather than fleeting trends.
Industry Background and Challenges
The K-pop industry's business model has historically faced scrutiny regarding artist contracts and welfare. Concerns have included:
- Contract Lengths: Originally, contracts could be lengthy (e.g., 13 years for TVXQ), leading to the term "slave contract." South Korea's Fair Trade Commission capped K-pop contracts at seven years after a 2009 controversy.
- Artist Expectations: Trainees have reported expectations related to plastic surgery, diet restrictions, and limitations on social activities.
- Fan Culture: Instances of intense fan culture, including doxxing and cyberbullying of artists, have been reported, with some artists like Sulli (f(x)) experiencing severe harassment.
- Reform Efforts: Attempts at industry reform have had limited lasting impact. For example, YG Entertainment co-founder Yang Hyun-suk, who stepped down in 2019 following allegations of threatening a whistleblower over a drug claim, later returned to the company.
The HYBE-ADOR Dispute
In April 2024, NewJeans became central to a dispute between HYBE, a major entertainment agency, and Min Hee-jin, CEO and founder of ADOR. Min Hee-jin launched NewJeans in 2022 and served as its creative director. HYBE alleged that an internal audit revealed Min sought to seize control of ADOR and initiated steps to remove her. Min denied these allegations, stating the dispute stemmed from her complaints that HYBE had disadvantaged NewJeans by prioritizing other groups.
In August 2024, ADOR announced Min had stepped down as CEO, a move Min claimed was a forced resignation. Min expressed a long-standing commitment to altering traditional producer-artist dynamics, viewing NewJeans as integral to establishing a new business relationship model within the industry.
NewJeans' Support for Min and Subsequent Actions
The five members of NewJeans (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein) publicly supported Min Hee-jin, calling for her reinstatement and indicating they would not continue without her. HYBE offered Min a limited role as a music producer, which she rejected as contradictory to her mission.
In September 2024, NewJeans members criticized HYBE in a YouTube livestream, alleging mistreatment and harassment. The following month, Hanni testified before the South Korean National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee regarding workplace harassment in the entertainment industry. The committee subsequently ruled that K-pop group members are not workers and thus not entitled to labor protections.
On November 28, 2024, NewJeans announced the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR, seeking to continue independently under the NewJeans name. Industry organizations, including the Korea Management Federation and the Korea Entertainment Producers' Association, sided with ADOR. Attempts by the group to operate under a new name, NJZ, were unsuccessful, and their last performance took place in February 2025 at ComplexCon Hong Kong.
Legal Resolution and Group's Return
After a period of inactivity, legal decisions were made:
- October 30, 2025: The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of ADOR, stipulating that NewJeans must honor its contract with the label through 2029. The members initially indicated an appeal, citing a breakdown of trust with ADOR.
- November 12, 2025: ADOR announced the return of Hyein and Haerin to the label. Hours later, Minji, Danielle, and Hanni also announced their intention to return via a news report, stating they had contacted ADOR. ADOR confirmed their intentions. Reports indicated family involvement in the members' decisions, with Hyein's father reportedly supporting her return to ADOR and Minji's mother reportedly supporting Min Hee-jin's position in the HYBE dispute.
Min Hee-jin subsequently established her own independent agency, issuing a statement that supported the group's unity and expressing her wish for their continued success as a five-member entity.
NewJeans' Creative Approach
Min Hee-jin designed ADOR as a boutique label with NewJeans as its sole artist, intending to integrate artist and producer fates, a deviation from conventional large-scale K-pop systems. Min, who had previously served as creative director at SM Entertainment for groups like Girls' Generation and SHINee, aimed to actualize a specific vision for NewJeans. This vision involved creating a group with a "smooth, iterative sound" for a broader audience, defying "conventional K-pop idol grammar." NewJeans' musical approach, as exemplified by songs like "Super Shy," often omitted traditional K-pop song structures such as bridges and obligatory rap verses, focusing instead on a cohesive, minimalist sound influenced by Y2K-era R&B and various club music genres. Collaborators like Erika de Casier and producer 250 were selected for their fresh perspectives, often outside typical K-pop production methods. Min emphasized that her role as a producer involved strategic planning rather than composing.
Industry Impact and Future Outlook
While ADOR's creative strategies were noted, its administrative approach faced challenges within the existing industry structure. Court findings from October 2025 cited Slack messages from Min instructing subordinates to gather information on other HYBE artists, which led to findings including breach of trust and misuse of information. The K-pop industry is known for emulating successful trends, and after NewJeans' hiatus, several other groups released music with similar sonic characteristics.
NewJeans' distinct appeal was partly attributed to its consistent musical identity, where "the music itself was the concept." This contrasted with typical K-pop practices of building elaborate concepts around individual singles. The group's promotional activities, such as the "ETA" music video featuring the iPhone 14 Pro, were characterized as purposeful and strategic, aligning with an influencer marketing model that emphasized an aesthetic rather than solely a commodity. The dispute has highlighted existing industry dysfunctions regarding artist treatment and corporate control.
SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, when asked about industry controversies, suggested focusing on the future rather than dwelling on the past. However, the NewJeans dispute indicates that such historical and ongoing challenges remain relevant to the industry's trajectory.