According to the certified response letter revealed on November 29, ADOR stated that it would be difficult to reinstate former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to her position as requested by members.
In its response to the certified letter sent on behalf of current CEO Kim Joo-young, ADOR stated: “We have established that it would be difficult for former director Min Hee-jin to return as CEO under the current circumstances.” The agency further explained that the exclusive contract was an agreement between ADOR and the members and that retaining a specific individual as CEO was not part of the contract terms.
ADOR emphasized that it has faithfully fulfilled its responsibilities under the exclusive contract, including organizing and negotiating entertainment activities, providing support, receiving payments and offering transaction materials. ADOR added: “From a strictly legal point of view, it is questionable whether ADOR has committed violations serious enough to justify termination of the contract or whether the artists’ current requests qualify as “rectification requests based on termination of contract” as claimed by the artists.”
ADOR also revealed HYBE’s position on the term “New-I-LE”, which appeared in HYBE’s music industry report. The report, made public during the audit of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, included the phrase “New-I-LE” along with the statement “It’s about abandoning the “New” and starting over“, which had been interpreted as HYBE’s intention to abandon NewJeans to focus on ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM.
ADOR clarified: “The ‘I’ in ‘New-I-LE’ refers not to ILLIT but to IVE.”
ADOR explained that the report was drawn up around May 2023, before the airing of the public hearings program “RU Next?” which decided the debut lineup of ILLIT. ADOR said: “The ‘I’ in ‘New-I-LE’ couldn’t possibly refer to ILLIT.” They further elaborated: “The phrase “abandoning the New” indicates an effort to move beyond the constant categorization that compares LE SSERAFIM to NewJeans, which have already achieved significant success, allowing LE SSERAFIM to establish its own unique dominance. This does not imply that HYBE intends to abandon any artist.” At the time, some media and online communities grouped NewJeans, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM as major fourth-generation girl groups under the term “New-I-LE”. The formulation of the report was intended to address LE SSERAFIM’s relatively lower position in the music charts among the three groups and propose strategies for improvement.
NewJeans held an emergency press conference in Gangnam, Seoul, the day before, declaring that they would terminate their exclusive contract with ADOR effective midnight on November 29.
In response to the press conference, ADOR released a statement, saying: “ADOR, as exclusive contractor, did not breach the contract. Claims of breach of trust alone do not constitute valid grounds for termination. The exclusive contract between ADOR and NewJeans members remains valid.“
ADOR also expressed regret over the situation, stating: “It is unfortunate that members planned and held a press conference before receiving our response to the certified letter. We sincerely hope that they will open their hearts and engage in honest discussions with us.”
Source: Naver