ADOR has issued a statement requesting an apology from fellow HYBE sub-label Belift Lab to NewJeans member Hanni.
On November 28, ADOR released a statement on its official stance regarding an alleged incident that took place between NewJeans member Hanni and a manager from Belift Lab.
Hanni claimed earlier this year that a manager had told another K-pop group to “ignore” her when they crossed paths at HYBE amid an ongoing feud between ex-ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and the parent company. Belift Lab denied the allegations in a statement last month.
“While ADOR has taken a cautious approach to avoid unnecessary disputes that could escalate into controversies for our artist, we now feel compelled to clarify our position as the matter remains unresolved,” said the label per Korea Times.
“Belift Lab’s claims differ completely from Hanni’s account,” it continued, adding that it was “unfair” and “unnecessarily harsh” to expect the singer to recount the incident in detail. “We fully trust our artist’s words and deeply regret the harm Hanni has experienced.”
ADOR added: “We urge Belift Lab to approach this matter with respect and to demonstrate sincerity to ensure this issue does not continue to cause unnecessary controversy.”
This comes amid an escalation of tensions between the members of NewJeans and ADOR two weeks ago, when the group issued a notice demanding the agency resolve several outstanding grievances. NewJeans expressed their intention to terminate their contracts with ADOR if the issues were not resolved.
While they did not make specific contents in the notice public, the girl group and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin previously called out HYBE’s alleged downplaying of the group’s achievements and undermining their success, as well as its lack of due process investigating Hanni’s claims.
Earlier this week, Min also filed an official criminal complaint against two HYBE PR executives for “breach of duties” regarding their promotion of NewJeans.