Five K-POP Industry Groups Call NewJeans-ADOR Conflict a Case of “Tampering” and Warn of Industry Collapse

Five organizations in South Korea’s popular music industry have identified the dispute between girl group NewJeans and ADOR, a HYBE subsidiary, as an example of “tampering” and called for its elimination. Tampering is a sports term referring to an unethical or illegal attempt by one team to recruit a player contracted to another team. The Korean Entertainment Management Association, the Korean Entertainment Production Companies Association, the Korean Music Label Industry Association, the Korean Music Copyright Association, and the Korean Music Content Association issued a statement on the 20th urging “specific entertainment companies and artists to stop manipulating public opinion for their own interests.” They added, “We urgently request that the National Assembly and the government implement policy support to eradicate tampering.” The groups also warned that if such attempts succeed, South Korea’s entertainment management industry will collapse. They expressed particular concern over foreign capital taking control of the K-POP industry, stating, “This issue goes beyond domestic conflicts. Foreign capital could intervene and seize control of the entire K-pop industry.”

The NewJeans dispute began last April when HYBE alleged that Minhee, then ADOR’s CEO, attempted to illegally separate ADOR from HYBE. Minhee stepped down as CEO last summer, and relations with ADOR deteriorated further after NewJeans members sided with her. In January, NewJeans declared it would unilaterally terminate its contract with ADOR on the grounds of abuse and neglect by ADOR toward its members. Member Hanni claimed, “ADOR lacks the ability and willingness to protect NewJeans.” ADOR maintained that the contract was valid and took legal action, while NewJeans hired lawyers. NewJeans’ subsequent rebranding as NJZ indicated no intention of returning to ADOR.

The industry groups criticized the expansion of this dispute into a public relations battle, expressing concern that “attempts to resolve issues through public relations campaigns and unilateral declarations are spreading like a trend, causing fatal damage to the K-pop industry.” However, NewJeans argues that appealing to public opinion was the only option after relations with ADOR became extremely strained. The groups emphasized that “the key to preventing tampering is the honest fulfillment of exclusive contracts” and insisted that government institutional support is essential for this purpose.