NewJeans bared their hearts and soul for their fans Bunnies in their explosive live broadcast.
On the night of September 11 (KST), the 5th-gen girl group sent the K-pop industry into a whiplash with their shocking revelations about HYBE's alleged mismanagement, Min Hee Jin's legal battle, the group's future amid the conflict, and more.
"It's been hard to see many people who have worked with us continue to suffer from unfair demands and pressure even after our CEO was dismissed," Hyein began, explaining the reason they decided to do the live stream.
The member added that it frustrated them to just watch the situations unfold, and expressed worries on NewJeans' future.
The NewJeans member revealed that they were worried about how the people would react to their live broadcast, and feared that spectators would allege former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin as the one who instructed them to do so. Minji added that they couldn't say everything because of their contractual issues.
NewJeans during their livestream:
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) September 11, 2024
— ““Min Heejin is not only the person who produces our music but someone who makes NewJeans who we are (…) she is integral to NewJeans’ identity and we all feel that she is irreplaceable”. pic.twitter.com/qY52Ej9FWq
"This [live stream] was prepared because we five members genuinely wanted to express our thoughts," Hyein clarified.
During the broadcast, Haerin revealed the "unfair" and "incomprehensible" incidents even after their debut in 2022. She talked about the members' leaked private records like medical information and documentation during their trainee days, and that the company didn't have proactive measures to address it.
NewJeans told us THEMSELVES they are not coerced, groomed, or brainwashed by anyone to share their story. Please respect their courage in speaking out and stop spreading that false portrayal pic.twitter.com/IcyddN7mLT
— 𓃺🌈☁️🫧 (@nwjns1) September 11, 2024
"It was hard to understand how our company, which is supposed to protect us, failed to manage and allowed such information to be leaked," Haerin said, adding that HYBE hasn't done anything about the issue despite relaying their concerns to the company.
"Then, in the midst of all this, our CEO was dismissed, and we're left wondering whom we can trust and rely on," she added. "We've come to the conclusion that if we don't speak out about this now, no one will know what we're going through."
Member Hanni then spoke on the creative production and media content that they, Min Hee Jin, and the creative staff worked hard on, only to be breached by HYBE.
"They infringed our content," Hanni stated. "Content that not only we worked really hard on, but also our staff who spent endless hours to produce and release them solely for our fans."
Minji also talked about certain incidents that make her and her co-members doubt if HYBE really cares about NewJeans, saying that there were clear signs the company doesn't.
"If they really care about us, they should stop saying that they prioritize the artists and instead let us do the music we love in an environment where we can be genuinely happy," Danielle said.
NewJeans went on to say that the way HYBE is operating at present is dishonest and wrong, and demanded the company to reinstate Min Hee Jin and stop interfering. They also asked the company to stop harassing the former ADOR CEO.
"HYBE just comes across as an inhumane company. What can we possibly learn from a company like this?" Minji said.
The live broadcast ended with NewJeans giving HYBE and its founder Bang Si Hyuk a deadline on restoring "ADOR to its original state" by the 25th.
After concluding their live stream, their YouTube channel was deleted.
Check NewJeans live stream full transcript HERE.
