NewJeans members' parents take to Instagram to speak out against HYBE, Ador

By Lee Gyu-lee

The parents of NewJeans members have spoken out about the ongoing conflict between the group and its agency, Ador, as well as its parent label, HYBE, accusing the agencies of spreading rumors about the members.

The parents opened a social media account and uploaded a post on Friday, saying they will use the account to share their side of the story amid the lawsuits between Ador and NewJeans.

Ador filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of its exclusive contract with the group in December when the members of NewJeans announced the termination of the contract in November. In early January, it submitted an injunction preventing the members from independently signing commercial deals.

“This account will run temporarily, and we inform you that it is inevitably created to represent our stance in the dispute with HYBE,” the post said, adding they didn't have an official communication channel in the past.

“While we are grateful that some outlets (that) published our statements as they were, they were very few. We also tried distributing (materials) through PR agencies, but we’ve experienced many difficulties in conveying our position through the press without distortion.”

The parents said they have gotten reports that HYBE has been spreading false information about the group to the media.

“HYBE and Ador are distributing hundreds of articles only representing their positions or containing false information every day through various media outlets that don’t go through the fact-checking and right-of-reply processes they should normally follow,” they said.

“Regrettably, we have received reports that HYBE and Ador are once again circulating tabloid articles to various journalists to spread false articles targeting the members ahead of the injunction lawsuit, so it led us to create this account.”

They noted that the account will be used to share information that is sensitive for the members to reveal themselves.

“We deeply apologize, knowing that there are people who may be tired from this long dispute. However, the content delivered through this account will mainly focus on matters that are difficult for the members to communicate directly. So please understand as the members' current sole spokesperson, we are in a desperate situation for a channel to convey and correct the facts.”

NewJeans has been making moves to cut ties with the agencies after declaring to terminate its contract. Last month, it created a separate social media account, Jeanzforfree, and has been active without using the "NewJeans" name.