South Korean pop group NewJeans announced on Thursday that they are leaving their label ADOR, accusing the company of “mistreatment”. “ADOR has neither the ability nor the will to protect NewJeans,” said group member Hanni at an emergency press conference, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. “Staying at the agency will only prolong our psychological pain and waste our time,” Hanni further said. Responding to the allegations, ADOR said it never violated the exclusive contracts with members of NewJeans and that it still stands.

The announcement by the pop group soon started circulating on social media and NewJeans became one of the top trends on X.

The press conference was held in Seoul at 8.30 pm (local time) on Thursday. More than 100 reporters were present at the event.

NewJeans said it sent a list of demands to ADOR on November 14 and asked the agency to reply within 14 days. The company claims it complied with the deadline, still the pop stars called the press conference.

ADOR “repeatedly asked the artists” to meet with the company but they refused, according to the agency.

“Even now, we hope to sit down for an honest talk. ADOR will continue to support NewJeans, our artists, and help them grow to become global artists,” the company said in a statement.

ADOR emphasised that the contract still stands. “ADOR never breached the contract, and just because (the members of NewJeans) argue that trust has been broken, it does not mean that the contracts can be terminated,” it said in a statement.

“The exclusive contracts between the NewJeans members and ADOR still stand. We ask that (the members) continue their activities with ADOR just as they have done until now,” the agency further said.