NewJeans’ record label contract reportedly lacked protections for minors

A new report has alleged that NewJeans‘ record label contract allegedly lacked protections for minors, including their right to “sleep, rest and free choice”. The K-pop giants became the second Korean girl group to top the Billboard charts in 2023, just behind Blackpink. The following year, they made headlines when they decided to leave their label – a move that was reportedly caused by contract disputes and allegations that ADOR (a subsidiary of HYBE) had intentionally undermined them. Now, The New York Times has published an article about the contracts the members had while working with ADOR, and suggested that they lacked protection for minors. The members of the group all signed the contracts when they were aged between 14 and 17, and the paperwork banned them from engaging in “inappropriate romantic relationships” and putting forward an “insincere attitude”. Contracts also allegedly excluded a section of the K-pop contract template issued by the Korean government, ensuring that a label would “not demand that a performer who is a minor engage in excessive physical exposure or overly sexually suggestive expression”. Secret K-Pop Deals: The Times obtained the contracts signed by ...