The Korea Popmusic Industry Association (KPIA) issued a statement on Monday, November 9 criticizing a recent New York Times report on the contracts of an unnamed K-pop act, alluding to NewJeans, and calling the coverage a “one-sided and biased assessment.”
“We regret that [New York Times] has taken the controversy surrounding an individual contract and interpreted it as a structural problem affecting the K-pop industry as a whole, without sufficiently acknowledging regulatory progress and the industry’s efforts to improve its own practices.”
The Times reported on Thursday that contracts signed by NewJeans’ members lacked provisions to protect minors, writing that the contracts “show that despite years of promised overhauls and government intervention, little has changed, even for one of the most successful groups of its time.” ADOR and HYBE have said the contracts were lawful and negotiated in good faith, with adjustments accepted by the artists’ parents.
The association said the fairness and legality of exclusive contracts must be assessed comprehensively, taking into account individual provisions, supplementary agreements, applicable laws, the circumstances surrounding how the contracts were entered into, and whether the contractual obligations have actually been fulfilled. “Failing to do so risks spreading a distorted perception of the K-pop industry and unfairly undermining the achievements and trust it has built over many years,” the statement said.
On protections for minors, the association said major K-pop companies, including HYBE, sign the government’s standard supplementary agreement for minors with all of their trainees. “These agreements include provisions protecting their personal rights and their rights to sleep, education and rest,” the statement said, adding that member companies have designated youth protection officers in accordance with applicable laws.
The statement also described the trainee system as a distinctive Korean industry model that should not be judged solely through a Western lens, pointing to comprehensive artist care programs, in some cases employing in-house medical professionals, and said that approach should not be belittled as “oppressive control.”
The association also expressed concern that details of an exclusive contract at the center of an ongoing dispute were disclosed despite confidentiality obligations between the parties. It said it remains committed to protecting artists’ rights and fair contract practices, and would respond firmly against distorted portrayals of the industry.
NewJeans’ ‘ETA’ MV is below.