JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
NewJeans vs ADOR: Korean Music Associations warns NJZ to not make court ruling 'a national issue'
Influential industry bodies like KCMA and KMF have criticized NJZ for their recent statements made in a recent interview. Read on to know more.
NJZ (formerly known as NewJeans) recently lost the injunction against HYBE's subsidiary ADOR and, as a reaction to that, made certain remarks regarding the K-pop industry, which not only sparked heated discussion among not only netizens but also prompted responses from big-shot music associations of the nation. Industry bodies like the Korea Management Federation (KMF) and the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) issued statements, as reported by K-media Sports Today on March 24.
The NJZ members expressed their "disappointment" regarding the court's verdict being in favour of ADOR in their March 22 interview with TIME magazine. They mentioned the issue not just concerning them but being a deep-seated problem of the K-pop industry. That brought forth reactions from KMF and KMCA. The secretary general of the KMCA, Choi Kwang Ho, criticized NJZ for discussing their legal issues with international media, framing it as a broader problem with the Korean music industry and the nation in general.
He noted the inconsistency, as the group and their fans had previously insisted it was a private matter between two parties. Choi Kwang Ho warned that if the quintet continued to escalate the issue, involving politics to the extent that "that reaches political arenas like the National Assembly," then KMCA might be forced to intervene. They further stated, “We hope this remains a private legal matter and doesn’t expand into a national issue." Calling the K-pop group's move "risky," the KCMA representative explained, "It’s also concerning that foreign media presented only one side’s claims through such interviews."
Besides KCMA's secretary general, director at the KMF, Lee Nam Kyung, also stated their views regarding the NJZ vs ADOR dispute. As per him, the girl group members implied that they would "operate outside the law," but the court prohibited them from pursuing unlawful independent activities. They said, "Even if there’s a dispute, it should be handled within the boundaries of the contract. That’s a basic principle of democracy." He added, “If it had ended with just NewJeans, it would still be a problem. But with recent issues like tampering and other contract disputes surfacing, the industry itself was at risk.
NewJeans vs ADOR: Will losing injunction be beneficial for NJZ's future? Expert reveals how
