Thirty-two prominent figures in South Korea released a statement on October 22 in opposition to the ongoing ban on NewJeans’ entertainment activities, marking a significant public show of support for the K-pop group ahead of a crucial court ruling expected on October 30.
The coalition includes former National Assembly member Song Hye-won, Catholic University education professor Song Ki-seon, lawyers, current affairs commentators and representatives of various civic organizations.
The signatories expressed themselves profoundly worry on the temporary injunction issued by the Seoul Central District Court which effectively banned NewJeans from performing, recording music or engaging in any entertainment-related activities. The five members have been inactive since March, when the initial court decision banned them from working independently outside of their agency ADOR. The ban has kept one of K-pop’s biggest artists largely paralyzed for more than six months.
Prominent figures have criticized structural issues in the South Korean entertainment industry, highlighting the disparity between international standards and domestic practices. They noted that the United States operates under a system of certified agencies designed to protect artists’ legal interests, while South Korea has no such protections. Instead, the standard contractual model applied by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requires artists to remain entirely subordinate to a single agency for seven years, imposing almost all contractual obligations exclusively on artists.
In their statement, the 32 intellectuals and activists underlined the significant profits that HYBE, ADOR’s parent company, has made from the success of NewJeans. They pointed out that HYBE invested KRW 16 billion to establish ADOR in October 2021, but the operating profit generated by the group alone has nearly quadrupled the initial investment since their debut in 2022. This financial backdrop underlines what the data sees as an inherent imbalance in the current contractual framework.
The coalition called for comprehensive reform, urging the South Korean government to introduce an American-style certified agency system as a key solution to prevent repeated contract disputes between artists and entertainment companies. They warned that without such reforms, globally recognized idol groups could be “effectively dismantled” through legal proceedings based on problematic standard contracts.
The statement comes as NewJeans continues its legal battle against ADOR over the validity of their exclusivity contract. The group has been on an indefinite hiatus since announcing the suspension of activities in March, following the initial loss in court. The final verdict on the contract dispute is expected on October 30, which will determine whether the group will remain under ADOR’s management or will have grounds to terminate the contract.
