Did bang si hyuk try to prevent NJZ’s rehearsal? Idol parents say yes

Parents of NJZ members (launched as Newjeans) shared a new statement with criticism the main musical organizations of Korea and Bang si hyukthe president and founder of Hybe, the conglomerate who has the ador, an agency that managed the career of Newjeans, as a subsary.

In the content released through a shared account on Instagram, the parents of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein A statement made by the Korea Entertainment Management Association (Korea), Korea Entertainment Producer Association (Kepa), Korea Music Label Industry Association (Liak), Korea Record Industry Association (Riak) and Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) over Legal dispute between AROR and Newjeans/NJZ.

It is worth remembering that the group reported the end of the exclusive contract with the ador in November last year, after a series of accusations about the company that would violate the agreement between the members and the agency. The ador filed a lawsuit to guarantee the validity of the contract, while the idols also sued the company in an attempt to be named after the training.

In the text, the idol parents also revealed the involvement of Bang si hyuk In an attempt to cancel the group’s presentation (topic 7) at ComplexCon, which will take place from March 21 to 23 in Hongkong, and will be responsible for marking the rehearsal of training independently.

Read the translation:

“This morning, we saw that five organizations – Korea Entertainment Management Association (Korea), Korea Entertainment Producers Association (Kepa), Korea Label Industry Association (Liak), Korea Record Industry Association (Riak) and Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) – issued their statement to the media.

Although they are fully aware that neither the injunction nor the judgment began, they are making statements that undermine the objectivity of the trial by presenting unconfirmed information as facts. This is really unfortunate. As always, we ask for your understanding in advance that this can be a long message, as there are few channels that the artist can use to express their positions compared to companies that can freely use major communication vehicles and various associations.

1. The five organizations claimed that NJZ members are trying to resolve a private dispute involving public opinion and unilateral statements rather than maintaining negotiations or through legal procedures. However, we believe that the public will surely remember which side began a media campaign, publicly spreading false allegations to remove the former CEO (Min Hee Jin), who was simply trying to approach the main problems within Hybe. At the time, Hybe purposely created and turned a blind eye to the multitude of articles related to accusations of “tampering” or “gaslighting” over NJZ. We believe that everyone will also remember the media frenzy that started less than a week before their return. This is something no company would only do a week before the return of their artists. We would like to ask where these musical organizations were and what they were doing at that time.

2. The five musical organizations also claimed that the entire K-Pop industry is suffering due to the private dispute that has become public, becoming a controversy. However, we believe that victims of this unilateral media coverage are members of NJZ, their fans and the audiences who love music. Damage continues to this day. In addition, the decline in the price of Hybe stocks and other damage is their problem, not the entire K-pop industry. This confirms that these organizations are representing the interests of a specific company while presenting themselves as an organization for all.

3. The five musical organizations claim that unfounded allegations can be accepted as truths without verification of proper facts, a chance of refutation or criticism, and therefore can take control of sites of portal portals, online communities and social media for a long time. This is the only section of your statement that is really correct. Several fake statements about NJZ members have taken on online communities control, and even now, the media publishes articles that reflect the interests of Hybe. At the same time, Cyber ​​Wrecker channels are spreading their opinions as if they were experts. It is from leaving the heart to see how celebrities themselves cannot prevent it or defend themselves. We believe this is lethargy in relation to these musical organizations that many involved in the entertainment industry, artists, interns and their families realize.

4. The five organizations criticized NJZ members for proceeding with their individual activities, although they did not have their contract exclusively with the legally terminated. They argued that if such contracts could be unilaterally broken, the entire K-pop industry foundation would collapse. However, we believe that this claim is misleading and only serves to deceive the public. From the perspective of the family, as people who take care of their children since they were minor and interns, we must emphasize that there has never been an organization or place for interns and artists to express their complaints and seek protection when facing abuse or the company violates the contract. These people have no choice but to rely only on the morality of the company and, therefore, are in a situation where their basic rights are not protected. From the point of view of the members, it is contradictory that these organizations take advantage and discuss the potential instability of the industry when they actually defend the company’s profits. The members gathered the courage to speak and take legal action, despite the difficult situation. We install organizations to reflect on their inconsistencies.

5. As many people know, Hybe publicly discriminated, attacked and tried to overthrow NJZ members, while the ador, a Hybe subsidiary, had neither the will nor the ability to prevent it from happening. In fact, as we saw in the situation in relation to Dolphiners Films, they even tried to overthrow the base of Newjeans career, its content. As a result, NJZ had no choice but to terminate its contracts, as they could no longer endure what was happening to them. Legally, the termination of the contract enters into force immediately, which means that its contracts with the ador no longer exist. Therefore, the members were no longer linked to the ador and were free to proceed with their own activities. This is a simple principle of Korea’s legal system. The fact that Hybe and the Adent are now pressing on legislative amendments just before the trial clearly demonstrates how irrational and unintentionally their allegations are. The declaration shared by the five organizations today also raises concerns that they are not only trying to excessively restrict the artists’ individual rights, but they are also trying to find ways to impose an invisible form of legalized violence. His allegations make it seem that the entire K-pop industry would collapse if contracts were not applied as slave contracts.

The fundamental question of this dispute is between an agency that mistreated its artist and the artist himself. This does not affect the entire K-pop industry. In fact, we believe that members’ courage can establish a new precedent for a healthier industry, full of a more diverse range of artists. It is with great regret that these organizations frame initial investments as a form of debt and assume a unilateral position on this issue. The trainees devoted their youth and life to the life of an artist. The concept of good faith is something that should be applied to both parties to a contract, not just one. We hope that this situation will serve as an opportunity for young artists and trainees, who should be spending their brightest years chasing their dreams, and their fans not to feel that they need to be victims of exploration while certain people avoid their responsibilities to pursue personal interests.

6. While we were forming our answer, a journalist approached us with new information. The five organizations did not only disclose this statement. They are also planning a press conference for Thursday, February 27, at JW Marriott Hotel and inviting many journalists. They told us that lunch was even offered. Considering that lunch at the hotel costs at least ₩ 100,000 krw (about $ 69.40) per person, we couldn’t stop asking ourselves if journalists could attend without violating the Kim Young Ran law [uma lei antissuborno que declara que funcionários públicos, como jornalistas, não podem aceitar presentes que valham mais de ₩50.000 KRW (cerca de US$ 34,70).] We also question whether such a bold attempt to try to influence the media is even possible. These five organizations did not only disclose their statement in the morning, but also again with the same exact content at 13h. What is the sense of sending the same statement twice in a day without any modification? Isn’t that just media manipulation? We respectfully ask these five organizations to try to influence public opinion by representing the interests of a particular company, which they declared through their statements. For the sustainable growth of the K-pop industry, it is essential to correct the mistakes made by agencies that see their artists only as tools to make money. This is an issue that must be resolved through legal procedures.

7. Not long ago, we heard from a Complexcon employee who was helping with the preparations for the Hybe Bang Si Hyuk show personally called their industry contacts to press them to cancel NJZ’s appearance at the event. Would it be very forced to connect today’s statement to this? We find it incredibly enraging and annoying. This made us realize how Hybe continues to see NJZ as a money generator instead of supporting and celebrating his successes. They are focused on blocking and destroying them. Since then, we have been informed that the ador has also worked to interfere with NJZ. Bang Si Hyuk, in April 2024, we sent an email and requested an answer. To this day, you have not responded. If you have so much to say, why don’t you talk to us instead of other people? Nor can we understand why the Hybe president is getting involved directly in a dispute that supposedly involves only the ador. Can we really believe in you when it argues that ador and hybe are separate entities?

NJZ is scheduled to perform at Complexcon in Hong Kong. They are excited to finally show themselves under a new light for their fans after leaving the environment created by Hybe and ador. Despite multiple attempts to stop them, your presentation will continue as planned, so we kindly ask for your continuous support.

Thanks for reserving time to read this long message and, as always, we apologize for the concern caused. We wish everyone a warm day. “