A new report has alleged that NewJeans‘ record label contract allegedly lacked protections for minors, including their right to “sleep, rest and free choice”.
The K-pop giants became the second Korean girl group to top the Billboard charts in 2023, just behind Blackpink. The following year, they made headlines when they decided to leave their label – a move that was reportedly caused by contract disputes and allegations that ADOR (a subsidiary of HYBE) had intentionally undermined them.
Now, The New York Times has published an article about the contracts the members had while working with ADOR, and suggested that they lacked protection for minors. The members of the group all signed the contracts when they were aged between 14 and 17, and the paperwork banned them from engaging in “inappropriate romantic relationships” and putting forward an “insincere attitude”.
Contracts also allegedly excluded a section of the K-pop contract template issued by the Korean government, ensuring that a label would “not demand that a performer who is a minor engage in excessive physical exposure or overly sexually suggestive expression”.
Secret K-Pop Deals: The Times obtained the contracts signed by the group NewJeans. They show how record labels keep a tight grip on K-pop stars. https://t.co/VH2FWqbBgu
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 5, 2026
The New York Times also reports that other protections in the government template – namely the “guarantee” of the “basic human rights of popular culture and arts performers who are minors, including their physical and mental health, right to education, personality rights, and rights to sleep, rest, and free choice” – was omitted from The NewJeans contracts.
In a statement to the outlet, reps for HYBE said that the company consistently upholds child-protection laws and ensures safe conditions for those who have signed contracts with them.
ADOR previously defended their contracts and the treatment of their signed artists in 2025, following band member Hanni claiming that she and her bandmates faced “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation” from the label.
“A unilateral claim that trust has been broken does not constitute valid grounds for termination of a contract,” an ADOR rep said in a statement (via BBC News).
The label then sued band member Danielle, as well as a member of her family and NewJeans’ producer last December for damages and a contract break penalty, seeking $30million (£22.4million).
In a statement to The New York Times, HYBE again argued that its contracts were legal and had been designed to protect the safety and wellbeing of the artists, and clarified that when it came to plastic surgery, which is common in K-pop, they “do not even recommend cosmetic surgery or procedures against an individual’s wishes”.
NewJeans’ Contract with ADOR gave the label the right to use A.I.-generated NewJeans voices indefinitely.
(via New York Times) pic.twitter.com/QtF9STCbpl
— Pop EMPIRE (@PopEmpirex) November 5, 2026
As per the report from the news outlet, the members are under contract until 2029, and after that, the contract will allow the label to continue “using and licensing their identities”. While the singers will still be paid, they will not be able to “control the use of their faces and voices”, including with voice clones or chatbots created by AI.
In October 2025, the Seoul Central District Court rejected NewJeans’ appeal to terminate their contract and agreement with ADOR in order for them to pursue independent activities – requiring them to remain with ADOR exclusively until 2029.
Since then, MrBeast – who is the biggest YouTuber with 460million subscribers – responded to calls for him to save Danielle by buying NewJeans or ADOR, and Danielle has said that she “fought till the end” to stay with the band.
