{
  "id": 18475893,
  "title": "Min Hee-jin's side says HYBE had final say over NewJeans contracts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/min-hee-jins-side-says-hybe-had-final-say-over-newjeans-contracts-18475893",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T09:32:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20261106/min-hee-jins-side-says-hybe-had-final-say-over-newjeans-contracts"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent development, Min Hee-jin's representatives have accused HYBE of holding the final approval authority over NewJeans' exclusive contracts, despite initial claims that former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin was the contracting party. This dispute has arisen following reports from The New York Times, which highlighted that exclusive contracts signed by NewJeans members, who were minors at the time, contained unfair provisions. In response to these allegations, HYBE and Ador have stated they had signed supplementary agreements, incorporating basic human rights protections into the contracts. However, Min Hee-jin's side argues that the company should demonstrate accountability and a willingness to improve, rather than shifting responsibility onto its subsidiary. They emphasize that under HYBE's decision-making structure, contracts could not be finalized without approval from HYBE's CEO.",
  "summary": "In response to foreign media reports that group NewJeans' exclusive contract contained unfair clauses, HYBE has stated that former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin was the contracting party at the time. In response, Min Hee-jin, the representative of OAKK Records and former CEO of Ador, countered that HYBE held the final approval authority. \"It is time for HYBE to move beyond the absurd notion that Min…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}