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NewJeans contracts reportedly lacked safeguards for minors’ education and rest
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.
In short
- 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.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Safeguards for education, rest, working hours and age-appropriate performances are especially important when performers are minors, who may have limited power to negotiate with a label. If the reported terms left these protections out while granting the company broad control over schedules and identity rights, that raises legitimate concerns about whether the members’ welfare and development were adequately protected.
The case against
A label may argue that contracts must reflect the practical demands of training and performance, while child-protection laws and company policies provide the necessary safeguards without every protection appearing in the contract. Ador says its contracts were legal and that it follows those laws; assessing the arrangements fairly also requires distinguishing the reported wording from how the members were actually treated and from the separate dispute over ending their contracts.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “K-pop group NewJeans’s contract omitted rights to ‘sleep and free choice’ – report”.