‘Artists are not guilty’: What is the NewJeans controversy and why did it bother BTS?

Debuting in 2022, NewJeans quickly became one of the most recognized girl groups in the K-Pop industry. Thanks in part to their music, which blends 90s and early 2000s dance styles like U.K. garage and Jersey club with infectious pop melodies, the girls have achieved a level of success most K-Pop groups only dream of. 

The NewJeans members would be enjoying the well-earned fruits of their labor if not for their being caught in the midst of an all-out battle between the CEO of their label, ADOR, and their parent company, HYBE. The conflict became public in April and inspired varying opinions, with some believing ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin is simply a well-meaning creative overworked by her corporate overlords and others believing her to be an entitled executive who prioritized greed over the well-being of her employees. 

Adding fuel to the fire, NewJeans uploaded a (now-deleted) livestream to YouTube on Sept. 11 stating they are firmly on Min’s side. K-Pop’s had its share of controversy but it’s hard to stress how unprecedented idols speaking out like this is. If you’re out of the loop, here’s what you need to know…. including how one BTS member is involved.

A timeline of the ADOR-HYBE conflict 

The conflict first became public on April 22 when HYBE revealed it had launched an audit of ADOR over allegations Min was trying to persuade outside investors to get HYBE to sell off its ADOR shares, thus making ADOR independent. HYBE confirmed it was also asking for Min’s immediate resignation as CEO.

Beginning the same day, Min released several statements, denying HYBE’s allegations against her and accusing fellow HYBE sub-label BELIFT LAB of plagiarizing NewJeans with the debut of its girl group ILLIT. According to Min, ADOR attempted to address these issues through the proper channels, but HYBE’s only response was the audit and threat of her dismissal. 

Things continued to escalate quickly when HYBE released a statement alleging it found evidence of Min attempting to take full control of ADOR through its audit and would consequently report her to the police. Min then held the first of several press conferences, where she tearfully refuted HYBE’s claims and claimed HYBE was retaliating against her for her plagiarism claims. During this time, both sides released text message conversations as evidence and HYBE also accused Min of making company decisions based on the advice of a shaman (you can read about that here and here).

The saga died down for a while — the two sides continued to issue denials while letting the legal process do its thing — until May 22 when BELIFT LAB, ILLIT’s label, filed a lawsuit against Min for defamation (the label would file a second lawsuit in June while Source Music, Le Sserafim’s label, would file its own defamation lawsuit in July). On Aug. 27, news broke that Min would step down as ADOR’s CEO and Kim Joo-young would take on the role.

What does that have to do with NewJeans?

Min was heavily involved in the formation of NewJeans and its creative direction, and is reported as having a close relationship with the members themselves. Throughout the corporate battle, NewJeans has maintained support for Min, reportedly reaching out to her with concern when news broke she had made mean comments about the members’ appearances. The relationship between Min and the NewJeans members has been both complimented and criticized by fans, as some view it as wholesome and others as inappropriate.

While the members have thanked Min during concerts, they made their first official statement with their Sep. 11 live broadcast. During the now-deleted broadcast (which has been reuploaded by fans), the NewJeans members called for Min’s reinstatement as CEO by Sept. 25. “CEO Min Hee-jin is not only the person that produces our music, but someone who makes NewJeans who we are,” Danielle said during the livestream. “She is integral to NewJeans’ identity, and we all feel that she is irreplaceable.” The members went on to say they’re being ostracized at work, with Hanni saying the manager of another HYBE subsidiary group told a member to ignore her. After speaking with the new ADOR CEO, Hanni felt she dismissed her concerns. The members stated they feel the new management doesn’t have their best interests at heart and reaffirmed their plea for Min’s return. 

HYBE’s CEO Lee Jee-sang brushed off NewJeans’ demands, stating the company will “uphold [its] principles.” BTS’ Jungkook then seemingly expressed his support for NewJeans via his dog’s Instagram account — you can’t make this stuff up — on Sep. 13. The hearts in the first post’s caption are in the order of NewJeans’ official colors and if that wasn’t enough of a hint at the posts’ intent, Big Hit Music released a statement confirming Jungkook made the posts “because he thought that under no circumstances should young artists be dragged into conflicts or used as a shield.” 

It’s unclear what’s next for NewJeans but we’ll continue to update this situation as it develops.