"The members of ADOR are in a state of great frustration and sadness. ADOR is still open-hearted. We hope they will return and be with us again, just like Min Hee-jin."
ADOR responded to the content certification sent by the members of the group NewJeans. It is reported that ADOR replied about 1 hour and 30 minutes before the emergency press conference held on the 28th.
The response from ADOR, sent by CEO Kim Joo-young, began with, "After receiving the content certification, I hoped to meet you directly at least once during the two weeks, but I am feeling complicated as I have to convey this through email without meeting you in person."
ADOR continued, "Since the NewJeans members are our only artists, some members feel anxious. However, we have not forgotten our role as the agency for NewJeans members, and we have carefully examined their requests and prepared answers to the demands for correction very diligently."
ADOR stated that they were still planning next year's activities and the concept for the regular album with NewJeans. They expressed hope that the members and Min Hee-jin would change their minds and return.
Furthermore, ADOR mentioned that they learned about the members' press conference and hoped that this response would clear up any misunderstandings. They also said, "It would be good to calmly think while managing the schedule in Japan and let us know," expressing a desire for direct communication.
During the press conference, NewJeans stated, "As of 0:00 on the 29th, we would like to announce that we will terminate our contract with ADOR." They explained, "NewJeans is an artist under ADOR, and ADOR has an obligation to protect NewJeans. However, ADOR lacks both the will and the ability to protect NewJeans," clarifying the reasons for leaving the agency.
The members expressed that they would proceed with the scheduled activities without any issues and that they had no intention of causing harm to the stakeholders due to the contract termination.
NewJeans also expressed their desire to maintain the team name and stated that they would work to secure the rights to the team name. Regarding the penalty for contract termination, they said, "We have never violated the exclusive contract and have done our best to perform until now. There is no reason for us to pay a penalty. Rather, it is ADOR and HYBE that have violated the contract, leading to this situation, and the responsibility lies with both parties."
In response, ADOR immediately issued a statement saying, "We regret that the press conference was planned and conducted without sufficient review before receiving a response to the content certification. ADOR has not violated the contract, and claiming that trust has been unilaterally broken cannot be a reason for termination," adding, "The exclusive contract is still valid."
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
