Netizens Scoff At Talk Of NewJeans Possibly Facing Penalties From HYBE

Online discussions have grown stronger amid swirling rumors of alleged penalties NewJeans members could face from HYBE if they do decide to terminate their contracts. The rumors have stemmed from the ongoing legal clash between HYBE and ADOR‘s CEO, Min Hee Jin, over control issues and accusations of internal discord, including charges of plagiarism within the company.

According to industry insights, the termination cost for NewJeans could be substantial. The formula, based on Korea’s Fair Trade Commission’s guidelines, involves calculating the average monthly sales over the past two years and then multiplying this by the remaining months on their contract.

With estimates of their monthly earnings of around ₩3.50 billion KRW (about $2.55 million USD) during their early days and a contract period of 60 months remaining, the penalties could exceed ₩210 billion KRW (about $153 million USD). However, since the group has reportedly recouped their initial investment due to their success, they would not be required to repay these funds.

Despite the calculations coming from the popular outlet Business Post Korea netizens questioned the validity of the rumors, noting that no official announcement has been made about the group terminating their contract or confirming the plagiarism accusations. Others have even criticsed the quickness of some to assume Newjeans’ failure and expressed support for the ADOR girl group.

Amidst this, there’s a prevailing sentiment that if the group has indeed met their financial obligations through early success, they should be able to resolve their contract amicably should it come to that.

• “But they haven’t announced they’re leaving yet, have they? The articles aren’t saying it’s a contract termination or a plagiarism issue, right? Why are people talking as if they’ve already left?”
• “If they’ve already recouped the investment and succeeded, there’s no reason to hold on anymore. It makes sense to dissolve it cleanly and come back.”
• “I’m even worried if it really is a seven-year contract.”
• “People really think they’re leaving… They get so heated.”
• “Huh, are they really leaving? Or is it just speculation? I really don’t think they would leave, seriously.”
• “It seems like a lot of people hope they fail. They’re planning to continue their activities, but some are fixated on the penalty fees.”
• “But where did the talk about the parents come from? Was there an interview with their parents? Where did that even start..?”

• “But if they’re still fulfilling their schedule, that doesn’t mean they’ve left, right? There hasn’t been an official statement from NewJeans.”
• “How could it look good to be likened to other female idol copies in statements that even the legal representatives agreed with?”
• “It’s a huge relief that the members and their parents haven’t officially made a statement.”
• “They haven’t said NewJeans is leaving, but real weirdos are seriously bashing NewJeans now, LOL.”
• “People love seeing women fail, huh? The groups that actually get branded as copycats and treated as such everywhere are female idols. You’d think they were male idols, wouldn’t you?”
• “From the comments, it seems like many people were hoping NewJeans would fail. They all look thrilled about it.”

You can read more about the possible penalties here:

Experts Report On How Much NewJeans May Have To Pay To Terminate Their Contracts