K-pop group NewJeans slams ADOR, HYBE for 'ending careers'
What's the story
Popular K-pop group, NewJeans, has officially refused to return to either ADOR or its parent company HYBE.
In a joint statement released on Thursday (January 23), the members accused their former label of "ending their entertainment careers" and "secretly meeting our parents."
The five members, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, claimed they would never return to their former agency.
This comes months after NewJeans officially left ADOR, citing mistreatment and manipulation.
Legal battle
NewJeans highlighted ADOR's lawsuit and alleged harassment
The group stated that ADOR is suing them to force their return and accused the company of trying to prevent them from signing new advertising deals.
"It was confirmed through the media that ADOR filed a lawsuit to retain the validity of our exclusive contract and they applied for an injunction to prevent the ending of advertising contracts and to preserve our contract status," read their statement.
Accusations
'We have zero intentions of ever returning to HYBE, ADOR'
The group further accused their former agencies of not fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.
"HYBE and ADOR have failed to fulfill their duty as an agency, not upholding their responsibility to protect and develop their artists."
"There have been both minor and major disruptions during our activities...they have disguised their attempts to end our entertainment careers by calling it a long-term vacation," they added.
Media manipulation
NewJeans alleged media manipulation by former agencies
NewJeans further alleged that they have been subjected to unfounded criticism from the media and YouTube channels using information only known by HYBE and ADOR.
"Even after the legal termination of our exclusive contract, we have received unfounded criticism from the media and cyber-wrecker YouTube channels using information that could only be known by HYBE and ADOR."
"We thus believe they are at the center of this," they stated.
Name change
NewJeans sought fan suggestions for new band name
Meanwhile, after releasing their statement, the girl group launched a contest on Instagram, asking fans to propose a temporary name for the band.
The group asked their fandom, Bunnies, to join in the comments section of their post. Many fans suggested them names like "Baggy Jeans," and "Jeanz."
This comes amid a legal battle with ADOR over contract termination issues.