ADOR Stands Firm Amidst NewJeans Bullying Allegations Against Belift Lab

ADOR, the agency representing the K-pop group NewJeans, has expressed its discontent towards Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE, over allegations of workplace bullying involving NewJeans. This move by ADOR is seen as an effort to clarify their stance following a notice of certification sent by NewJeans.

With just one day left before the deadline set by NewJeans in their notice, ADOR released an official statement through their channels. ADOR stated, "On October 17, we released a statement regarding the 'manager disregard remarks.' We have maintained a cautious approach to avoid unnecessary controversy surrounding our artists, but as the issue persists, we are compelled to clarify our position."

ADOR further stated, "The claims made by Belift Lab are completely different from the testimony of NewJeans member Hani." They continued, "Hani clearly remembers an incident on May 27 where a member of Belift Lab made remarks to 'ignore' or 'pass by' her. Expecting Hani to recall every detail of the incident to address the issue is an unfair and harsh standard for the victim."

ADOR emphasized their trust in their artist, stating, "We fully trust our artist's words and sincerely regret the harm Hani has suffered."

In conclusion, ADOR urged, "We hope Belift Lab does not take Hani's grievances lightly and shows mutual respect. We also hope they demonstrate sincerity to prevent unnecessary controversies involving ADOR's artists."

Meanwhile, on October 13, NewJeans sent a notice to ADOR mentioning the possibility of terminating their exclusive contract. Although the details of the notice are not disclosed, it reportedly demands an investigation into the bullying allegations within HYBE and the reinstatement of former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. NewJeans warned that if their demands are not met within 14 days of receiving the notice, they would proceed with terminating the contract.

Following this, ADOR received the notice on October 14 and stated, "We will do our best to resolve the issue wisely and continue working with the artist."

Below is the full statement from ADOR

*This statement is in response to the actions required by the artist's notice of certification.

Hello, this is ADOR.

On October 7, 2024, Belift Lab released a statement regarding the 'manager disregard remarks' through their Belift Lab X account. ADOR has maintained a cautious stance to prevent unnecessary controversy involving our artists. However, despite our efforts, the related controversy persists, prompting us to clarify our position.

The claims made by Belift Lab are completely different from the testimony of NewJeans member Hani. Hani clearly remembers an incident on May 27, 2024, where a member of Belift Lab made remarks to 'ignore' or 'pass by' her. Expecting Hani to recall every detail of the incident to address the issue is an unfair and harsh standard for the victim. ADOR and its members fully trust our artist's words and sincerely regret the harm Hani has suffered.

We hope Belift Lab does not take Hani's grievances lightly and shows mutual respect. We also hope they demonstrate sincerity to prevent unnecessary controversies involving ADOR's artists.

Min-Kyung Lee, TenAsia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr