On July 23, ADOR strongly denied allegations that they had poached NewJeans trainees from Source Music to form NewJeans. The agency announced plans to take legal action against HYBE and Dispatch, the media outlet responsible for the report.
ADOR refutes claims of poaching NewJeans and plans to take legal action against HYBE and Dispatch
ADOR stated, “The contents of the article in question are false and reconstructed based on speculation. We will take strong legal action against these false claims.” They emphasized that HYBE and Source Music cooperated in providing false information. They argue that the reported details, such as internal meeting records, task divisions, and personal KakaoTalk messages, are impossible to publish accurately.
In addition, ADOR criticized HYBE and Source Music for exposing the personal information of former trainees and artists without consent. This included medical records and demo tapes. They emphasized that Source Music had ended the trainee contracts and did not permit the use of likenesses or voices.
Furthermore, ADOR announced plans to pursue strong legal action against HYBE and Source Music for their unethical behavior. “The trainee contracts between Source Music and NewJeans members have ended, and there was no agreement permitting the use of their likenesses or voices. Thus, Source Music’s release of trainee videos through media is a severe illegal act. It violates the members’ portrait rights. We request immediate measures to protect the artists,” ADOR stated.
Previously, a media outlet reported that Min Hee Jin took NewJeans members, who were Source Music trainees, to debut under ADOR. The report included messenger conversations and videos of the trainees, leading to the current controversy.
Contrary to Dispatch’s claims, the indefinite postponement of Team N’s debut due to Min Hee Jin’s alleged negligence is far from the truth. To clarify the situation, ADOR released emails from 2021. The timeline provided by ADOR is as follows:
- In March 2020, BigHit’s marketing team proposed a launch strategy for ‘Team 21.’ Min Hee Jin found the direction unsuitable and prepared an alternative strategy.
- In May 2020, Min Hee Jin presented her launch strategy, which Bang Si Hyuk praised but deemed too ambitious for Source Music’s infrastructure. He suggested Min Hee Jin’s label handle the project.
- In August 2020, Source Music re-proposed an initial plan, largely copying Min Hee Jin’s strategy. Complaints arose, and Source Music acknowledged the issue.