KEMA Ethics and Disciplinary Arbitration Committee Demands Min Hee-jin’s Explanation Regarding Alleged Involvement in Terminating NewJeans’ Contracts

The NewJeans tampering allegations must be thoroughly investigated.

The Ethics and Disciplinary Arbitration Committee (hereinafter “the Committee”), a special body of the Korea Entertainment Management Association (hereinafter “KEMA”), recognizes the tampering allegations surrounding the group NewJeans — which have become a source of controversy through recent media reports — and the related dispute as a serious matter that could undermine the fundamental principles and order of trust in the Korean popular culture and arts industry, and hereby issues the following official statement.

This dispute is a matter that should never have arisen from a human relationship standpoint — one of mutual trust between parties, regardless of competing interests or fairness — in an industry where fierce competition and the principle of survival govern all. Upon closer examination, however, we have come to recognize it simultaneously as a serious issue that could shake the industrial foundation of the management sector, and as a case that we have determined to constitute non-standard industry conduct.

The Committee can no longer remain silent in the face of these facts and hereby issues this statement with the conviction that, rather than acquiescing in silence, it must refuse to condone unjust conduct within the industry and must drive change.

In particular, regarding the tampering allegations surrounding NewJeans that are currently being raised through the media, there are limitations to privately investigating the merits of the matter given that civil-sector investigations carry no legal binding force, making it difficult to resolve the related allegations. While K-pop’s industrial standing and production standards have reached the highest levels in the advanced cultural industry, it is regrettable that tampering — as it exists within the industry — is a serious act of disruption that corrupts the sound customs and order of the popular culture industry, undermines legal principles, and impedes the industry’s development. We express deep regret that cases of this nature involving tampering allegations exist, as this demonstrates that the present dispute is not a matter to be evaluated as an isolated incident.

Accordingly, the Committee issues the following statement based on what has been reported in the media.

1. Regarding media reports on CEO Min Hee-jin’s alleged involvement in NewJeans’ contract termination

(1) Media reports state: “The NewJeans ‘contract termination declaration’ press conference held at 7:30 PM on November 28, 2024 was Min Hee-jin’s work. ‘Dispatch’ has obtained evidence that Min Hee-jin directed the event from behind the scenes. Testimony has also been secured that Min Hee-jin personally wrote the press conference script and had the members memorize it. Min Hee-jin was also involved in preparing the rebuttal press release. She personally determined the distribution time and method as well.”

(2) If the content of these reports is true, this constitutes an act of disruption that violates the principle of good faith and impedes the sound customs and development of the entertainment industry, and we express deep concern and regret over the matter. If it is true that a former CEO of an entertainment company — a party to this dispute — covertly intervened in and was involved in the process of the artists’ contract termination, this constitutes the most entrenched form of illegal misconduct in the entertainment industry and amounts to a classic act of tampering. In connection with this, CEO Min Hee-jin must provide a clear explanation, and if such conduct is confirmed as true, she must bear the appropriate responsibility and issue an official apology.

2. Request for CEO Min Hee-jin’s explanation

(1) Media reports have covered, among other things, that CEO Min Hee-jin met with “Go Kazumichi,” described as a prominent figure in the Japanese racing world, toward the end of 2024, and that “Bonnie Chan Wu,” CEO of “ComplexCon China” in Hong Kong, “spoke with representatives of NewJeans.”

(2) If reports that CEO Min Hee-jin mobilized NewJeans members in the course of her meeting with Japanese racing figure “Go Kazumichi” are true, this constitutes a serious violation of the artists’ personal rights and interests, and the industry must further strengthen its ethical standards regarding industry-related interests. Furthermore, with regard to “Bonnie Chan Wu,” CEO of “ComplexCon China” in Hong Kong, we express deep concern and regret over reports stating: “Discussions were held with representatives of NewJeans. They indicated they had no intention of returning even if they lost the contract breach lawsuit. If we were to acquire a stake, they planned to immediately resume creative activities including music production and performances.” We also request an official explanation as to who the “representatives of NewJeans” are who engaged in these discussions while NewJeans’ exclusive contract with ADOR remained valid.

3. The need for an objective and fair investigation of the facts in this dispute

The current legal dispute between HYBE and CEO Min Hee-jin must not be reduced to a personal conflict or a financial matter. If this matter is left unresolved for the sake of managing public image and avoiding confusion, it will suppress new initiatives, investment, and bold challenges across the broader K-entertainment industry in the future, destabilizing contract norms and the overall system — making it difficult for any contract or system to operate with stability. This is also a matter of critical importance in establishing the sustainability of the industry, and it means establishing common sense and justice for the artists and countless industry workers who have been deeply wounded in this process.

We also urge HYBE, as an industry-leading company, to choose the path of establishing principles rather than compromise, thereby creating an opportunity to reset the order of the entertainment industry. As a leading K-culture company, the dispute within HYBE must serve as an opportunity to establish the order of the entertainment industry, reinforce the trust and foundation of the K-entertainment industry, and restructure its framework.

4. Institutional improvements regarding “tampering,” and related matters

K-pop has grown into a globally influential industry and leads Korea’s cultural sector. However, in order for this industry to continue sustainably, outdated malpractices such as “tampering” must be eradicated. The Committee will use this incident as an opportunity to ensure that malpractices such as “tampering” are eliminated from the industry, and will work to establish a system that holds those who engage in tampering — both the parties who attempted it and the artists involved — accountable accordingly. In particular, industry insiders who have attempted tampering must be driven out of the industry and permanently barred from returning.

In order to ensure that its response to this dispute is not lacking in legitimacy, the Committee will address this matter not through legal interpretation alone, but from the standpoint of upholding general social norms and maintaining industry order — all in pursuit of establishing the authenticity and systematic development of popular culture. With the aim of building the high-quality entertainment management system the association strives toward, the Committee issues this statement and will take proactive measures to prevent the recurrence of any unjust conduct and to serve the public interest. For the sake of creating an environment in which popular culture and arts workers can pursue their careers with sound conviction, the NewJeans tampering allegations must be thoroughly and rigorously investigated.

If the allegations that have come to such prominence — both domestically and internationally — in the current matter are not transparently resolved, similar incidents will inevitably recur in the K-pop cultural industry. It is also clear that the self-regulatory efforts of the private sector will be undermined, investment in the Korean Wave industry will become further constrained, distrust between producers and artists will deepen, and the contraction of K-pop culture will accelerate. As this incident is a matter of the utmost importance to the K-pop cultural industry, clear fact-finding and sound judgment by the judicial authorities is essential.

The Committee reiterates that a management environment grounded in sound business ethics must be established in order to preserve the authenticity and sustainability of the popular culture and arts industry, and hopes that the Korean popular culture and arts industry will develop into a more mature cultural sector — one in which the principles of exclusive contracts and industry ethics are in harmony.

Thank you.

Korea Entertainment Management Association (KEMA)
Ethics and Disciplinary Arbitration Committee

The Ethics and Disciplinary Arbitration Committee (the “Committee”), a special standing body of the Korea Entertainment Management Association (KEMA), was established in 2009 as the first industry self-regulatory system in the popular culture industry, with the aim of preventing harm caused by reckless disputes within the industry, representing the public interest, and establishing sound industry practices and social justice through self-purification efforts. The Committee strives to represent truthful facts in the public interest and to build a sound and healthy industrial system. The Committee also mediates and arbitrates disputes within the entertainment management industry through exclusive contract dispute resolution and self-regulatory systems, and leads the removal from the industry of individuals who cause harm to the entertainment management sector — including unscrupulous managers, agencies that solicit sexual services on behalf of entertainers, agencies that habitually withhold manager wages, drama and film production companies and agencies that fail to pay actor fees — working fairly and impartially to ensure that the popular culture and arts industry moves in the right direction. The Committee is a uniquely positioned dispute resolution body among entertainment organizations in Korea, and has been designated as an organization authorized to verify career records for registered popular culture and arts planning businesses (Official Gazette No. 2015-0023).

Korea Entertainment Management Association (KEMA)
Ethics and Disciplinary Arbitration Committee