Openly provocative? 'NewJeans expulsion' Daniel shares New York Times front page photo [Star Issue]

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Daniel, a former member of the girl group NewJeans who received an expulsion notice from her agency, Ador, and is currently in legal dispute with the company, shared a photo showing the front page of The New York Times, which reported on the contents of NewJeans' contract with Ador.

On the 14th, Daniel first shared a selfie with the caption "Hey~," followed by a photo of herself and acquaintances holding open what appeared to be a copy of The New York Times that she had purchased personally.

The front page of The New York Times in the photo featured an image that appeared to be from the filming site of a NewJeans music video.

Daniel appears to have directly verified the article regarding NewJeans' contract with Ador, which was recently reported by The New York Times.

In a report on the 5th (local time), The New York Times analyzed the contract signed between NewJeans members and Ador in 2022, pointing out that "the standard government contract's clauses protecting rights to health, education, sleep, and rest were omitted, and members were required to repay a significant portion of costs incurred by the company for plastic surgery, skin care, and other procedures." The outlet also criticized provisions related to private life, such as inappropriate romantic relationships, as well as rights regarding the use of faces and voices after contract termination.

The New York Times stated, "NewJeans' contract lacks standard clauses guaranteeing minors' physical and mental health, right to education, and rights to sleep and rest," adding, "The contract also included numerous provisions infringing on members' rights, such as the method for calculating penalty damages and portrait rights clauses after contract termination."

It further claimed, "In particular, a clause was found requiring members to bear a significant portion of costs incurred during their trainee period for plastic surgery, skin care, and body correction. At that time, two group officials stated that the agency had recommended cosmetic procedures to some members before their debut." The report also criticized the issue of calculating penalty damages in case of contract violation. Unlike standard contracts, it pointed out that penalty damages could increase because only months with actual sales revenue were reflected in the calculation of average monthly sales.

Subsequently, HYBE issued a lengthy statement on the 6th, asserting, "Min Hee-jin, who was Ador's CEO at the time, along with the deputy CEO she appointed, members and their parents, and legal representatives for some members, negotiated the wording and (finally) signed the contract. It went through three months of Q&A, email communication, and lawyer review, and it was acknowledged in a court decision that it was concluded after sufficient discussion." HYBE added, "The legal team provides the basic template, and the label communicates with artists to determine key terms such as settlement methods. We also requested The New York Times to explicitly state that Min Hee-jin was the principal of the contract, but this was not reflected."

On the other hand, Min Hee-jin's side countered, "Participating in contract negotiations and signing is different from having the authority to decide key clauses," stating, "HYBE's legal team led the drafting and revisions on behalf of Ador, which does not have an independent legal team, and required the agreement of HYBE's legal team, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Executive Officer, as well as board approval." They further argued, "In 2024, we requested authority to conclude important contracts, but HYBE refused. Discussions with parents were limited revisions mainly to clarify wording. It is more important who actually created and could modify the key clauses of the contract than who signed it."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original