On the evening of September 11, Kpop girl group NewJeans unexpectedly held a livestream titled "Things NewJeans Wants to Say" on their newly created YouTube channel, nwjns.
The 5 members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein opened a livestream themselves without going through the management company ADOR.
During the broadcast, NewJeans expressed their anger when former CEO Min Hee Jin was suddenly dismissed by HYBE. The group felt disrespected and worried about their own future, so they decided to speak up.
Hanni talked about how she was intentionally ignored and isolated by a manager of the HYBE group. The members were also concerned that the new ADOR leadership made promises not to interfere with the group's music production and put NewJeans first, but many problems continued to occur.
The members said that they have worked very well and effectively with Min Hee Jin since their debut. But both Min Hee Jin and the colleagues and staff who have worked with the group are under pressure and injustice from HYBE.
NewJeans said they will not blindly follow HYBE's every order, even though this may affect the group.
At the end of the broadcast, Minji expressed, “What we wish for is for ADOR to return to its original form, led by CEO Min Hee Jin in both management and production. This is a way to peacefully coexist without conflict with HYBE.
If our message is conveyed properly, we hope that President Bang Si Hyuk and HYBE will make a wise decision and return ADOR to its original state before September 25th.”
NewJeans' livestream exposing the company shocked the audience because it was rare in the industry.
On the evening of September 11 alone, dozens of posts about NewJeans became trends on online communities and social networks. On theqoo, more than 10 posts about NewJeans recorded 60,000-70,000 views.
Most Korean netizens expressed support, cheering for NewJeans and criticizing HYBE.
However, many people are worried that NewJeans will suffer losses when speaking out while the conflict between Min Hee Jin and HYBE is tense.
There are comments that worry that NewJeans is gradually becoming a case like Fifty Fifty - a group with 3 members who were fired and sued for contract damages, because they listened to outside instigation and confronted the company.
“They were so badly scammed. It seems like this is Fifty Fifty number 2. I read the articles about what happened to Fifty Fifty and Ahn Sung Il, it's crazy,” one viewer commented.
Some other opinions say that if NewJeans wants to continue working with Min Hee Jin, they should leave the company.
