NewJeans Contracts Expose Strict Control by K Pop Label

Contracts signed by NewJeans members as teenagers reveal extensive restrictions on performers' personal freedom, education, finances and professional rights, exposing the degree of control exercised by South Korean entertainment companies. Documents obtained by The New York Times show that Ador, a Hybe subsidiary, secured provisions that experts consider unusually restrictive.

The five members, Hanni Pham, Minji Kim, Hyein Lee, Haerin Kang and Danielle Marsh, signed their agreements between the ages of 14 and 17, before achieving international recognition. Their contracts departed from the South Korean government's standard guidelines for protecting young performers.

The agreements omitted protections covering physical and mental health, education, sleep, rest and personal choice. They also prohibited conduct described as an insincere attitude, inappropriate romantic relationships and criticism of the record label.

One particularly consequential provision allowed the company to retain the right to use AI-generated versions of the group's voices indefinitely. The contracts also included substantial termination penalties and permitted the label to continue selling the group's music after the agreements ended, while reducing payments to the performers.

The government template specifically establishes protections for underage entertainment workers. Its provisions include safeguards against excessive working hours, inappropriate sexualized performances and demands that interfere with education.

Hanni Pham previously explained the group's decision to leave its label to reporters.

"Staying at the company will only prolong our psychological pain," Hanni Pham told reporters.

The dispute followed the international success of NewJeans' album Get Up, which reached No. 1 on the US charts. The group's departure triggered a prolonged legal and business conflict involving Ador and its parent company, Hybe.

According to people familiar with the group's training, members began preparing for potential stardom years before signing their contracts. Some entered company dormitories at particularly young ages, with one starting at 12.

Sources close to the group told The New York Times that rehearsals sometimes continued until 2 a.m. Training facilities were monitored by video cameras, and breaks were discouraged. Four of the five members left school during their training.

Hybe representatives disputed suggestions that the company neglected young performers' welfare. The company said it complies with child-protection legislation, maintains safe training environments and does not pressure artists to abandon their education or punish them for taking breaks.

Jong-eon Roh, a Seoul-based entertainment lawyer among five specialists who examined the agreements for The New York Times, criticized the contractual restrictions.

"This contract is unusually aggressive," said Jong-eon Roh, a Seoul-based entertainment lawyer.

Roh also highlighted the extent to which the agreements restricted performers compared with other major-label arrangements.

"It restricts the artists' freedom to a degree rarely seen, even in recent major-label contracts," he said.

Hybe maintained that its labels negotiate contracts in good faith and include provisions intended to protect both performers and companies that invest in their careers. Company representatives also argued that the government's standard contract is a nonbinding guideline and that changes to the agreements had been accepted by the performers' parents.

Entertainment lawyer Dina LaPolt, whose clients have included Britney Spears and Cardi B, described the differences between the US and South Korean music industries.

"In K-pop, you either do what they say, dress as they say, do your hair as they say, or you're going to get replaced," LaPolt said.

According to LaPolt, comparable contractual arrangements have largely become outdated in the United States, where entertainment companies generally exercise less comprehensive control over artists' personal lives.

The New York Times also obtained correspondence showing that negotiations over the NewJeans agreements offered limited flexibility. In January 2022, the mother of one member requested several contractual changes before signing.

Ador's vice president rejected the proposed revisions with a warning about proceeding with the agreement.

"If you do not agree to the current contract draft, including the points above, it may be best to reconsider the contract itself," the Ador vice president responded.

All five parents ultimately signed the agreements. The documents provide an inside look at contractual practices in an industry that has faced longstanding allegations of excessive control, financial exploitation and inadequate protection for young performers.