”NewJeans” now known as ”NJZ” - Major Korean Music Group Issues Statement Criticizing Their Independent Activities... ”We're Concerned About This Being a Successful Case of Tampering”

As the Korean girl group "NewJeans" resumed activities under the name "NJZ," the Korea Entertainment Management Union, the Korea Entertainment Production Company Association, the Korea Music Label Industry Association, and the Korea Label
Major music organizations, including the Korea Music Industry Association and the Korea Music Content Association, have issued a statement calling for policy support to eradicate tampering (the act of contacting other agencies before the contract period expires).
On the 19th (today), major music companies including the Korea Entertainment Management Union, Korea Entertainment Production Company Association, Korea Music Label Industry Association, Korea Recording Industry Association, and Korea Music Content Association announced the results.
The group said, "For the healthy and sustainable development of the pop culture and arts industry (hereinafter referred to as the 'K-POP industry'), some entertainment agencies and artists are pursuing their own interests through unfounded manipulation of public opinion.
"We urge the National Assembly and the government to implement policy support to eradicate tampering, which is the main cause of conflict."
The five music groups said, "In the last 10 months, Min Hee JinformerADOR's (hereinafter referred to as Minformer) press conference and public opinion campaign, NewJeans' Hanni's attendance at the National Assembly audit,
In addition, cases and disputes that should be resolved privately by specific parties, such as group-specific activities, are resolved through public opinion battles and one-sided disputes rather than through negotiations between the parties or legal procedures.
"Attempts to resolve the issue through public declarations have become popular. In particular, the conflict surrounding CEO Minformer and 'NewJeans' continues to this day," he said.
We are not trying to discuss the dispute between a specific talent agency and an artist. A dispute between private parties is publicized unilaterally by one side and becomes the subject of controversy.
"We want to let people know how devastating the K-pop industry has been in the process of this and to find and resolve the root causes of this conflict."
"K-pop is an industry that attracts a lot of attention from the public, so if someone were to present a simple suspicion to manipulate public opinion, it would be distorted on portal sites and the internet for a long time," he said.
Such content can take over internet communities, social media, etc., and is sometimes accepted as fact without proper fact-checking, refutation, or criticism. Even the National Assembly and government agencies have been criticized for their "K-
"There are cases where people have misunderstood that the POP industry itself does not have the ability to self-cleanse, and have recognized this as a problem for the K-POP industry as a whole, resulting in the introduction of many regulations," he said in the "NewJewelry" meeting in October 2024.
"After HANNI attended the National Assembly audit, a bill to ban workplace harassment by artists was proposed, and we are working to establish a legal basis to create a more effective system," he said.
"We sincerely ask that you listen to the diverse voices within the industry, including whether artists should be considered workers based on the labor laws, and the working conditions of K-pop workers other than artists."
In particular, the press conferences and independent activities of K-pop's leading artists are influencing public opinion, causing confusion in the industry and even plunging the K-pop industry itself into a crisis."
Concerned that tampering attempts could lead to successful cases, he said, "Ultimately, the core of preventing tampering is the 'honest transition of exclusive contracts.' Given the importance of exclusive contracts in industry,
Just as various institutional mechanisms have been established to protect core national technologies such as the semiconductor industry through the Anti-Leakage Act, in the future, theft of exclusive contracts and hunting down of artists will be prevented.
"It will be necessary to clarify the actual situation and create an atmosphere for the faithful implementation of exclusive contracts," the five music groups added.
We ask that you once again recognize that this dispute is not merely a dispute between industry stakeholders, but that it poses a very serious risk to the K-POP industry, one of Korea's core industries.
On November 28th of last year, NewJeans held an emergency press conference to announce the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR, stating, "As of midnight on the 29th, we have terminated our contract with ADOR.
We are terminating the contract. The mistake is on HYBE and ADOR's side, so there is no reason for them to sue, and there is no reason for us to pay a penalty," he said, and is continuing to move forward on his own. ADOR responded, "N
A lawsuit has been filed against ewJeans to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract, and the first hearing is scheduled for April 3rd.
Five music groups express concern as NewJeans continues to go its own way
As public reaction in support of "NJZ" activities remains tense, attention is focused on how this situation will develop.