On September 23, it was announced that NewJeans' fans had started a protest in front of HYBE’s headquarters with trucks and funeral wreaths.
This collective action came just days before the deadline NewJeans gave to HYBE, demanding the reinstatement of ADOR to its previous state under former CEO Min Hee Jin.
The fan coalition stated, "NewJeans fans are currently outraged by HYBE and Chairman Bang Si Hyuk's irresponsible attitude," and criticized, "Even though the deadline set by the NewJeans members is approaching, no one has taken responsibility so far." They further called for Chairman Bang to personally address the situation and take action to resolve the issue as the head of HYBE. The coalition also mentioned, "The NewJeans members clearly expressed in a live broadcast their desire to find a way to coexist with HYBE without conflict."
On the 27th of last month, ADOR's board of directors dismissed Min Hee Jin from her position, citing "the principle of separating management and production." Although ADOR announced that Min would continue to oversee production, she rejected this arrangement. Fifteen days after her dismissal, on September 11, all five members of NewJeans unexpectedly went live, stating, "What we want is for ADOR to return to its original form, where Min Hee Jin is both the CEO and producer," and demanded that ADOR be restored to its previous state by the 25th of this month.
The fan coalition has organized a three-day protest from the 23rd to the 25th in front of HYBE's headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, using trucks and funeral wreaths. The wreaths placed in front of the building bore messages such as "The majesty of the nation's largest entertainment company digging its own grave," "NewJeans, irreplaceable," "Immediately accept NewJeans’ demands," "Artists are being used as shields," and "Give us back CEO Min Hee Jin."
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