# NewJeans contracts reportedly lacked safeguards for minors’ education and rest

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/k-pop-group-newjeanss-contract-omitted-rights-to-sleep-and-free-choice-report/
- Published: 2026-11-05T17:08:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T17:37:53+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/nov/05/k-pop-group-newjeans-contract
- Topics: Culture, World

## Key points

- Report says Ador contracts omitted safeguards for minors.
- Members were aged 14 to 17 when they signed.
- Hybe says its contracts are legal and artists work safely.

## Summary

A report says K-pop label Ador’s contracts with NewJeans omitted safeguards for education, rest and other rights when the members were minors. The findings raise questions about protections for young performers in an industry where strict schedules and extensive training are common.

The five members signed exclusive contracts in January 2022, aged 14 to 17, after years of training; the youngest, Hyein, had begun training at 12. The contracts reportedly restricted sleep, rest and free choice, removed template protections against excessive working hours and sexually suggestive performances, and gave Ador extensive rights to use members’ identities. Hybe said its contracts were legal and that it follows child-protection laws; NewJeans announced plans to leave Ador in 2024 amid disputes, which the label has rejected as grounds for ending the contracts.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.