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KMCA Secretary General Choi Gwang-ho expressed his views on the ongoing legal feud between HYBE and NewJeans. On February 27, during a press conference, officials from five music organizations discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the K-pop industry due to the legal battle over exclusive contracts between NewJeans and HYBE/ADOR.
The KMCA Secretary General highlighted the Popular Culture Industry Act and the Labor Standards Act that NewJeans cited to support their claims of workplace harassment by HYBE officials. He also addressed the public outrage directed at the entertainment company following the allegations.
“Just because they (NewJeans) have high recognition and a large fandom, their claims are being accepted as fact, and this phenomenon of these claims becoming established facts before the court’s judgment is accelerating,” he said.
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He further questioned the public’s neutrality in terms of hearing both the agency’s and the artist’s perspectives on the matter.
“We should ask ourselves whether we really tried to listen fairly to the claims of these two parties. If we had the opportunity to hear the claims of the famous singer, we should have also heard the opinions of the other party, in this case, the nameless manager.”
KMCA Secretary General comments on exclusive contracts in the K-pop industry following the NewJeans vs HYBE feud
On February 27, five music organizations held a press conference titled “Let's keep a promise: There is no K-pop without record producers!”
The five organizations are:
- Korea Management Federation (KMF)
- Korea Entertainment Producer's Association (KEPA)
- Record Label Industry Association of Korea (LIAK)
- Recording Industry Association of Korea (RIAK)
- Korea Music Content Association (KMCA)
The press conference took place at the JW Marriott Hotel in Seoul, where Choi Gwang-ho, the Secretary General of the Korea Music Content Association, was also present. In his opening speech, he addressed the attendees regarding the management of exclusive contracts in the K-pop industry, which has posed challenges for entertainment companies.
“Recently, exclusive contracts have been under threat in our industry. Once unknown singers gain recognition, they are subject to unscrupulous third-party agencies that try to sow discord by telling them to untie the contract, music producers employed by agencies, and big capitalists hiding behind them," Choi Gwang-ho said.
“Even fandoms that shout that it would be better for singers to leave agencies and the National Assembly and government policies that are focused on regulating agencies. All of these factors combined are making the positions of agencies that play a midwife role in the music industry even more difficult.”
Additionally, Choi Gwang-ho explained the struggles of an entertainment company and its employees both before and after K-pop groups and artists achieve a certain level of fame and recognition.
“When they were unknown singers, they had to defend themselves against excessive management responsibilities and numerous regulations, and there is an increasing atmosphere within the industry where they are anxious about having their contracts terminated when their singers become successful.”
In November 2024, NewJeans members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein unilaterally announced the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR due to a breach of contract at a press conference.
On February 7, NewJeans rebranded themselves as NJZ, as the copyright to the girl group’s original name belongs to ADOR. However, ADOR has emphasized that their contract remains valid and urged the media to use their original name, which is legally required under the contract.
Notably, the first hearing of the injunction filed by ADOR against the girls to prevent them from signing advertisement and commercial contracts with third parties is scheduled for March 7, 2025. Meanwhile, the first hearing, which will determine whether the exclusive contract is valid, is set for April 3, 2025.
