The legal battle between NewJeans and its agency ADOR continues. On July 24, the third court hearing was held at the Seoul Civil Property Court, marked by intense tensions between the two parties.
Before the formal hearing began, the NewJeans team asked the judge to avoid mentioning “illegally obtained evidence” in a public hearing, even though it had already been submitted in writing. However, this didn’t stop ADOR from raising controversial aspects of their argument, including a KakaoTalk message featuring Min Hee Jin’s previous statements, such as:
The NewJeans members’ statements during the third hearing sparked widespread controversy and harsh ridicule on social media. In a written statement, the members likened their request to return to ADOR to the request of a victim of school bullying to return to the environment of their abusers, noting that the staff they had worked with had already resigned and that the agency was not taking their concerns seriously. The statement concluded with an emotional plea: “How much more do we have to scream for them to understand how painful it is?”
Despite the sincere tone the members attempted to convey, many netizens met these statements with ridicule, deeming them dramatic and exaggerated, especially given the silence of parent company HYBE so far.
K-netizens commented
- Bunnies say that if Bang Si-hyuk gets arrested, NewJeans will win the lawsuit, but each case is separate and has nothing to do with each other.
- Stop the pleading, no one sympathizes. Just apologize to ILLIT.
- Do you drop out just because the principal changes? Tsk.
- Do bullying victims look like a joke to you?
- Is bullying a joke to you? What are you comparing yourselves to? If you want to argue, isn’t the victim someone else?
- Hey, if you get a 5 billion won settlement, everything is healed—whether it’s copying, Min Hee-jin leaving, not greeting you, or ignoring you. You ignorant people.
- I really think there’s a comment manipulation team. This is a conflict with the company, not a crime, but people are rushing in to bash with similar comments and upvotes. Honestly, based on all the articles and leaked videos so far, it’s clear that NewJeans had reasons to struggle with ADOR. But now they’re being portrayed as immature kids with no damage. The company released provocative practice videos with no explanation, leaked financial records, tried to fire a successful employee by falsely accusing her, and involved the national pension in a 400 billion won fraud, but no one’s mad about that?
- How ridiculous is society that people pretend to be bullying victims just because things don’t go their way? Real bullying victims must feel awful seeing this. They got over 5 billion won and act like victims because things didn’t go their way? I’m really sick of them.
- This is basically a long version of “we don’t have money, screw you.”
- They seem messed up too. They got paid and had activities, so I don’t get the sympathy appeal.
- Bullying? That’s going too far. If you can’t prove anything and just do media play, who’s going to support you? Like Min Hee-jin, you have to prove your innocence through the law.
- They keep breaking their own records in being shameless. Once someone crosses the line too far, people stop talking and just ignore them. That’s exactly what’s happening here. Plus, people already crossed the line with them last year because of manipulation, so now they’re pretending not to care.
- Bullying, my ass… Reading the court statement, they used all kinds of metaphors. Just emotional appeals, no facts.
- Where in the world is a victim who got 5 billion won in settlement?
- Piko (Peeko) is crazy.
- Just apologize to ILLIT… It’s getting ridiculous.
- Yookjip, great job today too.
- Real bullying victims would be speechless if they saw this.
- Oppa, NewJeans’ song came out great, right? (with image attached)
- The metaphor seems wrong… It’s like working hard to raise someone as a lawyer, only for them to cheat with another guy…
- You don’t know because you’ve never been bullied, huh? LOL
- If the principal is rotten, the school is rotten too~ LOL NewJeans said it right~
- No money to pay the penalty, want to work with Min Hee-jin, don’t go to the company because Min Hee-jin isn’t there, and now they’re demanding the company bring her back.
- Realization of a just society.
- Regardless of how the public sees Bang Si-hyuk, it seems NewJeans’ public opinion isn’t improving either.
