Five organizations, including the Korea Management Federation, the Korea Entertainment Producers Association, the Korea Music Label Industry Association, the Korea Recording Industry Association, and the Korea Music Content Association, recently issued a statement addressing the issues arising from the conflict between Ador and NewJeans, calling for policy support to eradicate tampering.
The five music-related organizations (hereinafter referred to as the pop music organizations) stated on the morning of the 19th, “To ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the popular culture and arts industry (hereinafter referred to as the ‘K-Pop industry’), we earnestly appeal to some agencies and artists to cease their actions of pursuing their interests through baseless public opinion manipulation, and we urge the National Assembly and the government to provide policy support to eradicate the major cause of conflict, ‘tampering.’”
They pointed out, “In the past 10 months, attempts to resolve issues or disputes that should be settled privately between specific parties, such as the press conferences and public opinion campaigns by former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin (hereinafter referred to as ‘former CEO Min’) and NewJeans’ Hani’s attendance at the National Assembly audit and the group’s independent activities, have become a trend, where parties do not seek resolution through negotiation or legal procedures but rather through public opinion campaigns and unilateral declarations. In particular, the conflict surrounding former CEO Min and NewJeans has continued to drag on until now.”
The pop music organizations emphasized, “We are not trying to discuss the disputes between specific agencies and artists themselves,” stating, “We aim to inform how severely the K-Pop industry is being impacted by the unilateral public declarations of disputes between private parties and to find and resolve the fundamental causes of such disputes.” They added, “Since K-Pop is an industry that receives a lot of public attention, simple allegations for public opinion manipulation can dominate portal sites, internet communities, and social media for a considerable period. There are also cases where the National Assembly or government agencies misunderstand that ‘the K-Pop industry itself lacks self-regulatory capabilities’ and recognize this as a problem for the entire K-Pop industry, leading to the introduction of various regulations.”
The pop music organizations, emphasizing that “after Hani’s attendance at the National Assembly audit last October, a bill to prohibit workplace bullying of artists was proposed,” pointed out that “it is also necessary to recall that there was a strong public backlash questioning whether K-Pop artists were mobilized for publicity at that time,” and earnestly requested, “To establish effective systems, we ask that the various voices from the industry, including the legal status of artists as workers and the working conditions of other K-Pop personnel, be heard.”
The pop music organizations warned, “If related bills continue to pass without considering the entire industry, the entire K-Pop industry will be shaken by the issues of the parties involved, and the damage from the unpredictable regulatory environment will directly affect all participants supporting K-Pop.” They also expressed concern that, as K-Pop is a field based on ‘public popularity,’ the issues tend to be sensationalized based on the artists’ reputations rather than the seriousness of the matter or the necessity for legislation.
They pointed out that last year’s NewJeans press conference excessively exposed the private disputes between the artist and the agency to the media without filtering, and that there have been cases where independent activities were attempted before receiving legal judgments on the disputed matters. The music organizations stated, “We must not allow this situation to continue. Addressing the common underlying issue of ‘tampering,’ which is often cited as a common aspect of unfiltered public opinion campaigns, must take precedence.”
The pop music organizations emphasized, “The K-Pop industry is being swept up in public opinion manipulation without any institutional protection,” stating, “If tampering attempts create successful cases, the ‘entertainment management industry,’ which plays a pivotal role in the K-Pop industry, will completely collapse.” They added, “This is not merely a problem limited to domestic operators; it is entirely possible that foreign capital could intervene and the K-Pop industry could be entirely taken away.”
The pop music organizations proposed that the key to preventing tampering is “the faithful execution of exclusive contracts,” stating, “Given the importance of exclusive contracts in the industry, it is essential to establish institutional support measures that clarify the reality of tampering acts that evade exclusive contracts and create an atmosphere of faithful execution of exclusive contracts, just as various institutional measures have been established to protect national core technologies such as semiconductor technology leakage prevention laws.”
They continued, “In the case of NewJeans, which is currently engaging in independent activities without a legally terminated contract with their agency, they have recently reached a point where they publicly announced that they have ‘a new agent’ while revealing a new activity name.” They expressed concern, stating, “If contracts are not legally protected and are terminated by unilateral declarations, the K-Pop industry will lose its foundation for existence.”
The Korea Entertainment Management Federation, the Korea Entertainment Producers Association, the Korea Music Label Industry Association, the Korea Recording Industry Association, and the Korea Music Content Association, five music organizations, earnestly appeal for some agencies and artists to cease their actions of pursuing their interests through baseless public opinion manipulation for the healthy and sustainable development of the popular culture and arts industry (hereinafter referred to as the ‘K-Pop industry’), and we urge the National Assembly and the government to provide policy support to eradicate the major cause of conflict, ‘tampering.’
To resolve the issues, legislation should be amended based on accurate fact verification and sufficient consultation with the parties involved, rather than through public opinion campaigns.
In the past 10 months, attempts to resolve issues or disputes that should be settled privately between specific parties, such as the press conferences and public opinion campaigns by former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin (hereinafter referred to as ‘former CEO Min’) and NewJeans’ Hani’s attendance at the National Assembly audit and the group’s independent activities, have become a trend, where parties do not seek resolution through negotiation or legal procedures but rather through public opinion campaigns and unilateral declarations. In particular, the conflict surrounding former CEO Min and NewJeans has continued to drag on until now.
First of all, we are not trying to discuss the disputes between specific agencies and artists themselves. We aim to inform how severely the K-Pop industry is being impacted by the unilateral public declarations of disputes between private parties and to find and resolve the fundamental causes of such disputes.
K-Pop is an industry that receives a lot of public attention, so simple allegations for public opinion manipulation can dominate portal sites, internet communities, and social media for a considerable period. Such content can be accepted as fact without appropriate fact verification, rebuttal, or criticism. There are also cases where the National Assembly or government agencies misunderstand that ‘the K-Pop industry itself lacks self-regulatory capabilities’ and recognize this as a problem for the entire K-Pop industry, leading to the introduction of various regulations.
We do not oppose regulation itself. However, since various issues, such as settlements between companies and artists and the working hours of minors, are included, sufficient discussions and agreements within the industry and the establishment of guidelines for self-regulation should precede.
For example, after Hani’s attendance at the National Assembly audit in October 2024, a bill to prohibit workplace bullying of artists was proposed.
In the K-Pop industry, artists should naturally be respected in all working environments. However, it is also necessary to recall that there was a strong public backlash questioning whether K-Pop artists were mobilized for publicity at that time.
We earnestly request that, for the establishment of more effective systems, the various voices from the industry, including the legal status of artists as workers and the working conditions of other K-Pop personnel, be heard.
If related bills continue to pass without considering the entire industry, the entire K-Pop industry will be shaken by the issues of the parties involved, and the damage from the unpredictable regulatory environment will directly affect all participants supporting K-Pop.
As seen in the previous examples, since the K-Pop industry is a field based on public popularity, each issue related to specific artists generates tremendous publicity and controversy. The higher the popularity of the artist, the more the issues they raise are generalized as problems for the entire K-Pop industry, leading to a cycle of excessive regulatory measures based on the artists’ reputations rather than the seriousness of the issues or the necessity for legislation. Once regulations are introduced, they can hinder the continuous growth of the K-Pop industry or shrink the industry.
We appeal for the establishment of anti-tampering legislation in the music industry, similar to the semiconductor industry’s technology leakage prevention laws.
Last year’s NewJeans press conference became an opportunity for the private disputes between the artist and the agency to be excessively exposed to the media. Furthermore, there have been cases where independent activities were attempted before receiving legal judgments on the disputed matters. In particular, the press conference and independent activities of artists representing K-Pop have influenced public opinion formation and exacerbated confusion in the industry, pushing the K-Pop industry itself into a crisis.
We must not allow this situation to continue. Addressing the common underlying issue of ‘tampering,’ which is often cited as a common aspect of unfiltered public opinion campaigns, must take precedence.
Tampering is an act that can destroy an agency that has invested heavily over a long period, betting on the future value of the artist and bearing all the risks regarding the artist’s success. However, tampering is carried out very secretly, making it difficult to prove its existence, and at this point, there is a lack of separate legal systems to protect the industry from tampering, making it challenging to hold anyone accountable even if the existence of tampering is revealed.
Despite the recent surge of tampering allegations overwhelming the industry, the K-Pop industry is being swept up in public opinion manipulation without any institutional protection. Now is the time to recognize the serious threat that ‘tampering’ poses to the K-Pop industry and to unite to protect the industry.
If tampering attempts create successful cases, the ‘entertainment management industry,’ which plays a pivotal role in the K-Pop industry, will completely collapse. This is not merely a problem limited to domestic operators; it is entirely possible that foreign capital could intervene and the K-Pop industry could be entirely taken away. Industrial spies that leak core technologies and assets overseas do not only exist in the semiconductor industry. The production know-how and IP, which are the core competencies of the K-Pop industry, can also be leaked and taken away.
Ultimately, the key to preventing tampering is the ‘faithful execution of exclusive contracts.’ Considering the importance of exclusive contracts in the industry, just as various institutional measures have been established to protect national core technologies such as semiconductor technology leakage prevention laws, it is essential to establish institutional support measures that clarify the reality of tampering acts that evade exclusive contracts and create an atmosphere of faithful execution of exclusive contracts.
There is also a need to raise awareness among artists themselves through various institutional measures. In the case of NewJeans, which is currently engaging in independent activities without a legally terminated contract with their agency, they have recently reached a point where they publicly announced that they have ‘a new agent.’ If contracts are not legally protected and are terminated by unilateral declarations, the K-Pop industry will lose its foundation for existence.
Now, we earnestly request that the National Assembly and the government recognize that disputes or controversies related to tampering are not merely conflicts among industry stakeholders but represent a very significant risk to the K-Pop industry, one of the core industries representing South Korea.
Thus far, the K-Pop industry has wisely overcome numerous challenges, such as the illegal download market in the early 2000s and the pandemic in the 2020s, turning crises into opportunities for growth. We sincerely hope that 2025 can be a year where K-Pop, which is facing the risk of mutual destruction due to internal divisions, can overcome the crisis through unity and communication and leap forward as a proud cultural industry of South Korea, with the interest and support of the National Assembly, the government, and all sectors of society. We will also do our utmost to contribute to this effort.
cf) The consultative body is an organization composed of non-profit corporations for the healthy development of the K-Pop industry, and this appeal has been written for public interest purposes.
[Geum Bit-na, MK Sports Reporter]
