On November 27, ADOR, the agency representing NewJeans, released a statement on its official channel, demanding ILLIT’s label Belift Lab to adopt a “sincere attitude” to remove “unnecessary controversies” regarding NewJeans.
It is known that Belift Lab previously released a notice demanding NewJeans’ Hanni to apologize after the female idol accused a staff member of telling their artists to ignore her.
Below is ADOR’s official statement in full:
“Hello, this is ADOR.
On October 7, 2024, Belift Lab released a statement through the agency’s X account under the title ‘Notice’ regarding the “manager disregard remark.” ADOR has thus far maintained a cautious stance to avoid escalating factual disputes that could create unnecessary controversy involving ADOR artists (NewJeans). However, despite our efforts, the related controversy remains unresolved, and ADOR is therefore releasing its stance on the matter.
Belift Lab’s claims are entirely inconsistent with the testimony of NewJeans member Hanni. Hanni clearly remembers that on May 27, 2024, a member of Belift Lab made a comment to the effect of ‘ignore her’ or ‘just pass by and ignore her’. Suggesting that Hanni must recall every detail of a relatively brief incident to raise an issue sets an overly harsh and unreasonable standard for the victim. ADOR and its members fully trust our artist’s testimony and deeply regret the harm Hanni has suffered.
We hope Belift Lab does not trivialize Hanni’s experience and demonstrates a respectful and mutual attitude. We urge Belift Lab to show sincerity in ensuring that unnecessary controversies involving ADOR artists are not prolonged.”
However, despite ADOR finally taking a stance to support NewJeans, Hanni seem to be displeased, as shown through a status update she later made via the fan communication app “Phoning”.
On the other hand, NewJeans previously sent a letter of demand, asking for ADOR to correct all its violations towards the group, and threaten contract termination if ADOR failed to take adequate measure within a 14-day deadline. ADOR’s latest statement is released only one day before NewJeans’ deadline ends.