[Sports Chosun, Baek Ji-eun] There is growing interest in the behind-the-scenes story of the group’s Hae-rin and Hye-in returning to Adore.
On the 12th, all NewJeans members announced their intention to return to Adore. Interestingly, Hae-rin and Hye-in communicated this through Adore’s official channels, while Minji, Hani, and Danielle did so through a “lofficial” (law-firm official) statement. The different communication channels also reflected differences in the content of their messages.
Minji, Hani, and Danielle stated, “After careful consideration, we have decided to return to Adore. One member is currently in Antarctica, which delayed our communication. Since Adore didn’t respond, we had no choice but to make a separate announcement. We will continue to perform with heartfelt music and performances.”
In contrast, Adore stated, “Hae-rin and Hye-in expressed their desire to continue working with Adore. After careful deliberation with their families and sufficient discussion with Adore, they decided to respect the court’s ruling and uphold their exclusive contract. We will do our best to support Hae-rin and Hye-in in their entertainment activities.”
The most notable difference in the statements from both sides was the mention of ‘family.’
Previously, it was known that during the exclusive contract dispute, Hye-in’s father was the only one to express opposition. Hye-in’s mother, referred to as A, filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Family Court against Hye-in’s father, B, to restrict his parental rights solely for this lawsuit (exclusive contract dispute). The court ruled in favor of A, allowing her to solely exercise parental rights, and stripped B of his rights. However, it is reported that B continuously tried to persuade his daughter to engage in entertainment activities in a stable environment even after losing his parental rights.
After many ups and downs, NewJeans returned to Adore. This came a year after they declared the termination of their exclusive contract due to a breakdown of trust, following the wrongful dismissal of former Adore representative Min Hee-jin in November last year. Adore had filed an injunction against the members to preserve their status as an agency and prohibit them from entering advertising contracts, as well as a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. The court sided with Adore on all injunction requests and ruled that the exclusive contract with NewJeans was valid. NewJeans had initially indicated their intention to appeal, but changed their minds and returned to Adore just a day before the appeal deadline.
Reporter Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com