NewJeans’ Agency ADOR Responds To Controversies Over Its Management Of The Idols

Nov 22, 2023

NewJeans’ agency ADOR has released an official statement regarding recent controversies over its management of the group.

Recently, some fans expressed concern that ADOR was not giving the NewJeans members access to the education they wanted. On November 21, NewJeans’ Hanni held a live broadcast during which she said, “I have something I want to say. I told the company that I wanted to take more Korean language classes, but they said I couldn’t. Because they said I didn’t need them.” She later added, “My last Korean lesson was two years ago.”

As NewJeans only debuted a year ago, many fans were troubled by the idea that Hanni had asked for more Korean lessons and been refused by her agency, with some suggesting that it was a violation of human rights to deny her access to education.

The following day, Hanni followed up with a post on fan communication platform Phoning stating that there had been a misunderstanding and that her request for Korean lessons had “not reached my label or CEO.”

Hanni wrote, “Bunnies!! What I said during last phoning call, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. About a year ago, I mentioned to my manager, who left the company earlier, about how I wanted to start doing Korean classes again and she replied on the spot very lightly, so I took it as a joke and also found it quite funny. I just wanted to share a fun story with you but I think there was a misunderstanding. That conversation have not [sic] reached my label or CEO as it was a light one. I feel awfully sorry about this. Was never my intention for what I mentioned about yesterday to become this big. I hope there is no misunderstanding and don’t worry about it!!”

Later that day, ADOR released its own statement in which it addressed not only the controversy over Hanni being denied Korean lessons, but also other recent concerns about Hyein dropping out of school and reportedly getting dental veneers despite her young age—decisions that some fans worried had been made for Hyein by ADOR.

ADOR’s full English statement is as follows:

"Dear All,

In light of the various false information circulating after Hanni’s recent Phoning live, we would like to clarify the company’s position. While this may be a passing issue, we would still like to provide everyone with the full details in order to dispel any exaggerated claims. Our objective is to address any concerns by sharing accurate facts and presenting the company’s clear perspective.

Regarding members’ education, ADOR has been hiring instructors and scheduling classes based on the needs of NewJeans members. We have been doing so continuously, and even recently, we had a separate language class for Hanni. This applies to Korean language education as well. Academic matters and privacy-related matters are personal decisions that bear great importance to the members, and the company have never [sic] made decisions for them upon our own discretion.

Hyein’s decision to take the school equivalency exam and pursue homeschooling was entirely made by her parents, and the rumor that Hyein has had her teeth laminated is not true. Hyein started the dental program before joining ADOR as a trainee, with the consent of her parents. Furthermore, the program was aimed at improving dental alignment safety while preserving her existing teeth as much as possible, which is clearly different from dental laminates. All the aforementioned information pertains to events that occurred before Hyein joined ADOR as a trainee, so we have thoroughly verified the facts for each matter.

ADOR places utmost importance on the fact that the members of NewJeans are going through a significant phase of personal growth and learning that goes beyond their entertainment activities, encompassing all aspects of their daily lives. ADOR is making efforts to ensure that even the smallest skills required for entertainment activities are part of their learning process and is hence providing support to ensure that minor to significant decisions in their work as well as their personal lives are made carefully and thoughtfully. We also believe that fully supporting any decision they make is another important responsibility of ADOR.

As always, ADOR will fulfill our responsibilities with dedication and commitment in supporting the NewJeans members. Therefore, we sincerely request that you refrain from unfounded speculations and exaggerated interpretations regarding privacy matters concerning the members.

Thank you."

cr: Soompi