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On Friday, November 8, 2024, SPOTV News reported that NewJeans' music video director, Shin Woo-seok, filed a lawsuit against ADOR's CEO Kim Joo-young, and Vice President Lee Do-kyung for violating the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation) Act.
Shin Woo-seok stated that the label executives asked him to delete NewJeans' Ditto, ETA, and OMG music videos from his personal YouTube channel, Ban Heesoo. After the dismissal of Min Hee-jin as ADOR's CEO, the new management requested Shin Woo-seok to remove the girl group's videos from his channel, containing 'Director's cut' versions of the music videos.
"I will sequentially submit or disclose the recordings, emails, and materials as necessary, and sue CEO Kim Joo-young and Vice President Lee Do-kyung for defamation," Shin Woo-seok said.
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SPOTV News reported that ADOR previously clarified that Shin Woo-seok's 'Director's cut' videos on NewJeans' ETA and Ditto MV were due to the complaints raised by YouTube and advertisers as it was copyright infringement.
It is important to know that all HYBE affiliate labels publish video content on the official YouTube channel of HYBE Labels and their respective channels like BELIFT LAB, Pledis Entertainment, and more. Hence, NewJeans' director's cut videos being published on a third-party YouTube channel officially is an infringement of copyright.
HYBE faces public backlash for its ongoing feud with Min Hee-jin, NewJeans, and its leaked internal report
HYBE's conflict with former ADOR CEO, Min Hee-jin, has been going on since April 2024, when the parent company accused her of allegedly conspiring to take over the label. In August 2024, the independent board of directors of ADOR fired Min Hee-jin and appointed Kim Joo-young as the new ADOR CEO.
On September 3, 2024, NewJeans' MV director claimed that the new label head ordered him to delete the girl group's extended videos from his personal YouTube channel and also from his social media account, Dolphin Kidnapping. The issue first arose on September 3, 2024, when Korea JoongAng Daily reported ADOR's stance.
"The director's cut of the 'ETA' music video that Dolphin Kidnapping posted on their social media is an edited version containing elements that were previously in dispute with advertisers. This video was uploaded without the advertiser's permission. ADOR only requested that Dolphin Kidnapping take down the director's cut video," the label stated.
ADOR's statement continued:
"Dolphin Kidnapping's director, Shin Woo Seok, is falsely claiming that ADOR requested the deletion of all videos related to NewJeans, including those on the Ban Heesoo channel. [We will] ensure that the deleted NewJeans content can be uploaded to ADOR's official channel in the future."
Amidst the ongoing conflict between HYBE and Min Hee-jin, the parent company was embroiled in another controversy due to its 18,000-page internal report which was exposed at the National Assembly Audit on October 24. The report contained inappropriate remarks on rival K-pop groups from SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment.
Comments mentioning Stray Kids’ Changbin’s height, EXO’s Baekhyun allegedly copying BTS’ Jungkook’s Weverse livestream format, and more reportedly filled the 18,000-page document. The report also claimed that BLACKPINK’s Lisa lost her reputation due to her Crazy Horse show in Paris in September 2023.
"Her public image collapsed after the 'Crazy Horse Show' in Paris. She may have wanted to emphasize the empowerment message through the act of performing at the show itself, but can't seem to accept the fact that it was a naive decision to just jump into a burlesque show rather than promoting empowerment on a larger stage through background storytelling and production," the report allegedly stated.
It also reportedly included demeaning comments towards other groups like IVE, NMIXX, NCT, NCT Dream, aespa, and more, which invited severe public backlash towards HYBE.
Currently, over 47,000 people have signed a petition filed on the official website of the National Assembly of South Korea to strip HYBE's 'Top Company' status amidst swirling controversies.
