NewJeans members Minji and Danielle have expressed their complex emotions following the recent dismissal of Min Hee-jin, the CEO of ADOR, amidst ongoing conflicts between HYBE and ADOR. 


On September 2, Minji shared her thoughts on NewJeans' dedicated communication app, Phoning, stating, "It's been about a week since I wanted to talk about everything that has happened, but I couldn't. I wanted to reassure and comfort the many Bunnies (NewJeans fans) who have been concerned and supportive, but this time, I just didn't have the strength."


The conflict between HYBE and former CEO Min Hee-jin has been ongoing since April. HYBE raised concerns that Min and Vice President A had attempted to seize control of the company, allegations that Min Hee-jin has vehemently denied. 


On August 27, ADOR announced that during a recent board meeting, they decided to replace Min as CEO and appointed HYBE's Chief Human Resources Officer, Kim Joo-young, as the new CEO. However, ADOR clarified that although Min Hee-jin stepped down from her CEO position, she remains on the board of directors and will continue to oversee the production of NewJeans.


Min Hee-jin responded by saying that the decision was made against her wishes, revealing that HYBE had requested her to sign a two-month short-term work delegation contract.
Amid these events, additional conflicts have surfaced, including a dispute with Shin Yu-seok, the director of Dolphin Kidnappers, who produced NewJeans' music videos for "Ditto," "OMG," and "ETA." 


Director Shin expressed his displeasure, stating, "All of the NewJeans music videos and related content that Dolphin Kidnappers worked on, as well as any videos that were scheduled to be uploaded, can no longer be released. All videos have been deleted and cannot be made public due to ADOR's changed demands."


In response, ADOR claimed that the director's cut of the "ETA" music video included edits that were not agreed upon with the advertiser and were posted without their consent.


Written by Heo Ji Hyeong
Translated by Lee So Yun