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NewJeans Members Launch New Social Media Account Amidst Contract Dispute with ADOR
The 'jeanzforfree' account, created by the five members, has amassed approximately 2.5 million followers within just three days. In contrast, the official NewJeans account under ADOR now stands at 13.03 million followers, reflecting the loss of over 30,000 followers. Industry insiders predict that the exodus from the official account may accelerate.
As of this morning, the five members have posted a total of eight posts and numerous stories, engaging actively with their fans. Notably, Danielle dedicated a birthday tribute video to Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR, on her 45th birthday. The video featured a young Danielle singing a birthday song, officially celebrating Min Hee-jin's birthday.
Hanni shared a video of herself throwing a ball to Kim Do-young, a professional baseball player known to be her fan, and expressed her gratitude by saying, "Thank you, Do-young," while tagging his social media account. This was in response to Kim Do-young's reinterpretation of Hanni's cover of Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda's 'Blue Coral Reef' at the 'KIA Fan Festa' last month, showcasing his admiration.
Kim Do-young, who played a pivotal role in leading KIA to a championship victory this year and received accolades such as the MVP and Golden Glove for third base, reacted to the post by sharing it and commenting, "Unbelievable," and "This can't be real."
Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein also communicated directly with Shim Eun-kyung through the new account. On the 15th, Shim Eun-kyung tagged the new NewJeans account on her personal account, and Haerin responded with, "No, I'm the one who's grateful," while Hanni greeted her with, "Oh~~Hello!"
Shim Eun-kyung reminisced, "Even Hanni... I remember shouting 'Hanni don't cry!' when Hanni cried during the Tokyo Dome fan meeting." Hanni regrammed the post, saying, "I think I heard your voice back then," to which Shim Eun-kyung excitedly replied, "Wow! Amazing. I've been saying 'amazing' since earlier. Thank you so much."
Shim Eun-kyung, known as a fan of NewJeans, has previously shared a group photo with the members holding signed albums, expressing her happiness and excitement.
Additionally, the members used the account to introduce themselves, saying, "We are the real deal," and announced that they had prepaid for drinks and meals for fans attending a rally in Yeouido, urging them to eat well.
Minji notably captioned, "I've been waiting for this day," while Hanni playfully asked, "Can our fandom, Bunnies, handle our Instagram?" Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR, also liked the post.
NewJeans held an emergency press conference on the 28th of last month, announcing the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR. In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit on the 3rd to confirm the validity of the contract. Despite the split, the five members have continued to fulfill scheduled appearances, such as guesting at the Japanese duo YOASOBI's concert on the 7th, introducing themselves by their individual names rather than as 'NewJeans'.
Min Hee-jin has not provided an explanation for the detailed allegations but has confirmed the filing of a lawsuit. As the core issue of the ongoing conflict between HYBE and Min Hee-jin since April has been tampering, there is a growing demand for a proper explanation and rebuttal.
