On November 27, NewJeans Hanni updated her status on the fan communication platform Phoning from “It’s snowing~” to an expressionless emoji. This change occurred after ADOR issued a statement regarding NewJeans’ request to address violations of their exclusive contract, drawing attention.
The status change is speculated to be Hann expressing her frustration, as the “😑” (-_-) emoji suggests an “I’m so done” attitude.
Netizens have since shown support for Hanni, leaving comments that they would also feel frustrated that it takes ADOR forever to protect their artists and even so, in a lacking manner.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- They should have done something like this way earlier, but they really waited until the the last day before the deadline given by NewJeans to act
- I really am rendered speechless, ADOR acts like a fool
- They really do nothing but put out empty words LOL
- Even I, a mere fan, am dumbfounded, so I can only imagine how dumbfounded the person involved must be -_-
- Is that the most ADOR can do?
- That emoji really reflects out emotions about the notice accurately LOL
Earlier that day, ADOR released a statement on its official channel, demanding ILLIT’s label Belift Lab to adopt a “sincere attitude” to remove “unnecessary controversies” regarding NewJeans.
ADOR further emphasized, “We clearly remember that on May 27, 2024, a member of Belift Lab made a comment to Hanni, saying ‘ignore her’ or ‘just let it go.’ It happened in a relatively brief moment, and expecting Hanni to recall every detail of the situation to address the issue is too harsh and an unfair standard for the victim.”
ADOR continued, “ADOR and ADOR’s members fully trust our artist and sincerely regret the harm Hanni has suffered. We hope that Belift Lab does not take Hanni’s situation lightly and demonstrates mutual respect. We also urge them to show a sincere attitude to prevent unnecessary controversies involving ADOR’s artists.”
Meanwhile, today (November 28) marks the deadline for the certification of contents sent by NewJeans to ADOR. On November 13, NewJeans members sent a certification of contents containing demands, such as an official apology from the manager who told another girl group to “ignore” Hanni and the reinstatement of former CEO Min Hee-jin. They stated that if these issues were not rectified within 14 days, they would terminate their exclusive contract.