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NewJeans’ exclusion from Bang PD's latest post featuring other HYBE LABELS girl groups attracts criticism from fans. On April 22, 2025, HYBE LABELS chairman and producer Bang Si-hyuk shared a post on Instagram with some of the prominent girl groups under his label, including LE SSERAFIM—Source Music, ILLIT—BELIFT LAB, and KATSEYE—HYBE AMERICA.
The post is captioned with the expression “United!” and highlights each group with other hashtags like #ONETEAM to showcase the bond between the artists from different labels. The image was clicked backstage at LE SSERAFIM’s EASY CRAZY HOT concert held in Incheon, South Korea. However, HYBE subsidiary ADOR girl group NewJeans was not seen in the photo shared by the chairman and reportedly not spotted at the concert.
Notably, NewJeans has been in a legal battle with their agency, ADOR, since their unilateral contract termination in 2024. The quintet have showcased their wish to not be a part of the label and have accused them of mistreatment. However, the agency claims to support the group if they return. Bang Si-hyuk’s recent post has led the fans to question whether the group would be treated with respect if they continue to be under the label.
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Furthermore, they noticed that Bang PD has not shared a single photo with NJZ even before their legal feud. They turned to social media to express their disappointment in the chairman for allegedly not acknowledging the Super Shy singers.
"And despite this petty behavior from their Chairman, they claim NJZ would be treated well if they returned," a fan said.
"genuine question just so i can get this straight - when everyone takes a photo with bang pd its cute and fun but when njz is in a photo with mhj its awful and they’re the worst people in the world?? " a user stated.
With the recent post, fans concluded that Chairman Bang Si-hyuk allegedly does not want to work with the Hype Boy singers in the future.
"None of y'all should be surprised by this because it was written in the industry report that HYBE wanted NJZ out of the equation in the first place. Fromis is gone, Gfriend is gone, and now NJZ is gone. All the ggs under HYBE are completely his now," a fan mentioned.
"NewJeans wouldn't be here even if they were still in that company... Did we forget about Bang Sihyuk ignoring their greetings?? And not to mention the fact that he doesn't have a single picture with NewJeans on his account?" a fan commented.
"I knew he was always bitter and jealous of newjeans cause it wasn’t his girl group he created," a netizen stated.
NewJeans vs. HYBE: Updates on the ongoing injunction battle and lawsuit
On April 16, 2025, NewJeans re-appealed to the Seoul District Court within a few hours after the judges dismissed their objection against the initial rulings. In January 2025, ADOR filed an injunction to reclaim their status as the exclusive agency of the girl group and to stop them from signing contracts with third parties without their consent.
This came in after their collaboration with brand commercials and advertisements. In March 2025, the court ruled in ADOR's favor, and soon the legal representatives of the girl group filed an objection against the court’s rulings due to lack of evidence.
On April 16, 2025, the Seoul District Court stood firm on the initial ruling rejecting their group's appeal. The Attention singer's lawyers stated that they would continue their fight to unveil the facts and made another appeal on the same day.
Moreover, the HYBE subsidiary label ADOR sued the girl group, aiming to prove the validity of their exclusive contract. The first hearing for the lawsuit was held on April 3, 2025. The second hearing is expected to be held on June 5, 2025, which will reportedly determine NewJeans' exit from ADOR.
