Activists and intellectuals from both the left and the right wings joined in the legal battle between NJZ (NewJeans) and their management agency, ADOR.
The endless legal war between NJZ (NewJeans) and their management agency, ADOR, has so far worked against the group since all the members of the group have been restricted from engaging in any entertainment-based activities until the final ruling is made about the validity of their contracts with the label. In the midst of this, 32 activists and intellectuals from various political backgrounds have petitioned the government and court to overturn NJZ’s activity restriction.
Influential figures who have petitioned to support NJZ
Notable figures have endorsed the petition, including National Assembly member Son Hye Won, Catholic University professor Sung Ki Sun, former Reform New Party supreme council member Cho Dae Won, former ambassador to Vietnam Kim Do Hyun, and Mediawatch CEO Byun Hee Jae. In a statement released on October 22, KST, these intellectuals said that the ban imposed on NJZ from participating in any entertainment activity was worrying, and emphasised the lack of agency for artists in the South Korean industry, compared to that in the US.
What did the petition read?
The petition read, “Unlike the United States, an advanced nation in the entertainment industry, South Korea lacks a ‘public agency’ system to protect the legal interests of entertainers. Moreover, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s standard contract itself is problematic, as it ties an artist’s entire livelihood to a single agency for as long as seven years while imposing obligations solely on the entertainer.”
The statement also remarked that Bang Si Hyuk, the HYBE chairman, established ADOR with an investment of 16.0 billion KRW (about $11.1 million USD) in October 2021, and HYBE made about four times the investment in operating profit after NJZ’s debut in July 2022. In such cases, the statement pointed out, a Korean artist’s career could have taken a different path had they been guaranteed the same rights as they are in the US. The petition further read, “In a case like this, if it were in the United States, where certified agencies manage such contracts, the artists would have been able to secure the right to either obtain free-agent status through an opt-out clause or renegotiate their contracts.”
Joint petition for a Soloman-like solution
The joint statement also revealed that recently, political commentator Kim Sung Soo and Mediawatch CEO Byun Hee Jae had presented another petition to the Seoul Central District Court, which is handling the contract dispute between the two parties. The petition urged a solution, referencing the 1996 case of baseball player Lim Sun Dong, who was ordered to be traded within two years as a balanced resolution. They urged the court to carefully review the petition and deliver a fair, progressive judgment. The petition also urged the government to step in at the national level and work to prevent harm against Korean artists, done through similar court injunctions. Petition read, “We ask that the government step in at the national level and, through broad social consensus and mediation, prevent a situation in which the members’ desired activities are fundamentally banned due to one court decision rooted in an incorrect standard contract…We hope that serious consideration will be given to adopting the American-style certified agency system as a fundamental solution to the frequent contract disputes and conflicts between entertainers and agencies — an issue that seems to occur only in South Korea.” This statement was sent to Woo Sang Ho, the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office; Lee Dong Yeon, Secretary for Culture and Sports; Choi Hwi Young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 41, which is handling the dispute.
The final verdict regarding NJZ’s contract with ADOR will be delivered on October 30.
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