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This megathread is about the ongoing dispute within HYBE and the management of sub-label ADOR. Substantial news developments may be posted to the subreddit (outside of the Megathreads). Moderators will only approve posts that focus on statements by relevant parties, official representatives, or legal authorities. Unofficial commentary, fandom activities, speculation, or blind items will not be acceptable. Articles or translations should ideally be presented as neutrally as possible. Titles or content that are obviously sensationalized or intended to persuade readers to one perspective will be removed. English-speaking news outlets that have relatively more neutral reporting include Soompi, Yonhap News, and Korea JoongAng Daily. THIS POST MAY BE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED AT VARYING TIMES based on what the moderators are able to manage during their shifts. Please be patient with us while we work to balance keeping up with the queue and our own lives. DISCLAIMER ABOUT SOURCES: We prefer to focus on official statements from companies or other vetted sources. There will be widespread speculation and rumor-heavy articles, but until presented in an official capacity we consider them unsubstantiated. As Mods, all we can do is compile and summarize, but we are not investigators or journalists. Summary of Previous Megathreads ONE and TWO and THREE contains HYBE's audit of ADOR and Min Hee Jin's 1st press conference. FOUR summarized all events up to April 30th, 2024. FIVE and SIX contains potential ADOR embezzlement, MHJ's injunction and hearing, and a letter from the parents of NewJeans. SEVEN and EIGHT and NINE contains MHJ's injunction granted May 30th and remaining ADOR CEO, HYBE replacing ADOR board members, BELIFT LAB's video regarding plagiarism and lawsuit against MHJ. TEN and ELEVEN and TWELVE contains ex-ADOR employee's sexual harassment case, band Shakatak's plagiarism claim, HYBE 2.0 and ADOR restructuring with new CEO Kim Joo Young, MV director drama, the NewJeans livestream, MHJ's 2nd injunction filing and public events/interviews. THIRTEEN and FOURTEEN and FIFTEEN contains an interview with NewJeans' parents, Hanni and CEO Kim Joo Young at the National Assembly, MHJ's reappointment as director, Kim Taeho at the National Assembly, HYBE's Weekly Industry Report leak, the court's dismissal of MHJ's 2nd Injunction, ADOR board's vote against making MHJ's CEO again, NewJeans' certified letter of ultimatum to ADOR, rejection of Hanni's workplace bullying claim by labor ministry, MHJ's resignation from ADOR, and NewJeans' contract termination press conference. SIXTEEN and SEVENTEEN and EIGHTEEN contains ADOR's 26-page response to NewJeans' certified letter, Dispatch's exposé on MHJ's alleged strategy to leave HYBE, ADOR seeking validity of NewJeans member contracts, KMCA/KOSPO statements concerning tampering, the creation of the 'jeanzforfree' Instagram account, visa concerns, Employee B's MHJ defamation mediation failing, Davolink Chairman details, first hearings for Belift Lab and Source Music vs MHJ damages cases, dismissal of former ADOR VP's workplace harassment case against HYBE/ADOR, ADOR's injunction to halt NewJeans ad deals, and NewJeans rebranding to NJZ. MEGATHREAD NINETEEN covered mid-February to early March. Contains: Reports around Hanni's visa concerns and political involvement of National Assembly member Park Ji Won, NJZ parents establishing and posting to their PR Instagram account, the conclusion of three related allegations of 'workplace harassment' with no charges against HYBE/ADOR or ADOR CEO Kim Jooyoung, the joint press conference of 5 major industry organizations regarding tampering and contractual integrity, and the provisional injunction hearing for ADOR's complaint to restrict NJZ's music activities along with new ad deals until contract validity is determined. MEGATHREAD TWENTY covered the rest of March. Contains: The provisional injunction hearing and results two weeks later granting the injunction in ADOR's favor, NewJeans' activities at ComplexCon, NewJeans' filed objection to the injunction ruling and hearing set for early April, progress for Employee B, and general media/articles around the injunction results. MEGATHREAD TWENTY ONE covered all of April. Contains: HYBE's annual shareholders' meeting, the 1st hearing for confirmation of ADOR's contract validity with NewJeans, the hearing for NewJeans' objection to the injunction ruling and subsequent rejection of their objection by the judge one week later, and the 2nd hearing regarding shareholder agreement termination validity between HYBE and MHJ was designated to run jointly along with the case around exercising put/call options. Articles / Timeline 250422 This day marks one year since HYBE launched their audit of Min Hee Jin and ADOR's management. Happy(?) 1st anniversary of the Megathreads! 250502 The 3rd hearing for Min Hee Jin vs. Belift Lab was set to take place but postponed to July 18th at Belift Lab's request. Each side is due to present their arguments/documents regarding plagiarism issues at the next meeting. (Source: Maeil Kyungjae) 250530 We learned that ADOR had filed for 'indirect enforcement' after their injunction was granted and NewJeans performed at ComplexCon back in March (Filed on April 4th according to the statement from NewJeans' representatives linked below). On the 30th, the 52nd Division of the Seoul Central District court further granted this request. The 'indirect enforcement' ruling means that each individual member of NewJeans will be fined 1 billion won (approx. $725,000) if they continue with entertainment activities independent of ADOR, which would be in violation of the injunction. This enforcement with potential fines does NOT apply to any of NewJeans' independent activities between the granting of the injunction and the granting of this 'indirect enforcement'. These fines will only apply to future activities going forward, or at least until rulings with NewJeans' appeal or the main contract validity case changes anything (next hearing on June 5th). (Source: Chosun Biz, MK Sports) The Korea Herald: Court orders NewJeans to pay Ador 1 billion won for each unauthorized activity Discussion Post Korea JoongAng Daily: Court orders NewJeans members to pay ADOR $725,600 for every independent entertainment activity A statement by NewJeans' representatives was made later in the day primarily acknowledging the indirect enforcement ruling, but reiterating that it is temporary and will no longer have an effect if NewJeans win their appeal of the injunction. (Source: Ilgan Sports) The 2nd hearing for Source Music's damages lawsuit against Min Hee Jin took place at the 12th Civil Affairs Division of the Seoul Western District Court. (Quick recap: 1st was January 10th, 2nd was previously scheduled for March 14th, postponed per Source Music's request). Legal representatives were present. Source Music had a 20-minute presentation prepared, but Min Hee Jin's representatives objected to the inclusion of KakaoTalk messages in the presentation. They claimed the messages were illegally obtained and requested the hearing to be closed/private. Source Music denied the messages were obtained illegally, claiming they were gained from company devices with consent. The court went with a temporary compromise to keep the hearing public, but not allow discussion/display of the messages until they were reviewed again. A special hearing to review the messages will take place June 27th. (Source: Sports Today) 250605 The Seoul Central District Court Division 41 held the second hearing for ADOR seeking confirmation of validity for their exclusive contract with NewJeans. Only legal representatives were in attendance. NewJeans' side primarily argued that ADOR had not met their obligations and that their evidence they were preparing to support NewJeans' activities, like finding a new producer, was inadequate. ADOR's side argued that NewJeans' reasons for allegedly terminating their contract continually changed, indicating they are arbitrary and being made up with retroactive hindsight. The issue of some evidence being collected illegally also came up again from NewJeans' side. Judge Jung Hoe-Il specifically inquired if both/either sides were willing to come to an agreement, encouraging them to do so. NewJeans' representatives strongly indicated this was unlikely as the trust in ADOR had completely collapsed. ADOR's representatives indicated they could see negotiating an agreement once the court comes to a final decision. The 3rd hearing was set for July 24th. (Sources: X Sport News, Maeil Kyungjae) 250612 The next hearing regarding the Shareholder Agreement termination and exercising put/call options lawsuits between HYBE and Min Hee Jin was held at the Seoul Central District Court's 31st Division. Arguments from each side mostly re-tread what we've already covered. HYBE's side argued they were justified in ending the shareholder agreement due to the threat Min Hee Jin posed to the company. Min Hee Hin's side argued the timing of the audit/termination did not align purely with that concern and that some KakaoTalk messages and emails were obtained illegally and not admissable as evidence. HYBE also indicated they had a witness to give testimony at the next meeting, which the court accepted. The next hearing with closing arguments, was set for September 11th for both lawsuits. (Sources: Maeil Kyungjae, TV Daily, Sports Today) 250617 Following up from April 16th when NewJeans appealed the court's decision to uphold the injunction and halt on their independent activities, the Seoul High Court reaffirmed the earlier decision. The court rejected NewJeans' appeal. They determined there was no significant change in the material/arguments presented for the appeal and the original decision to grant ADOR's injunction was justified. There was further clarification that the management conflict between HYBE and Min Hee Jin, and her no longer being NewJeans' producer, did not constitute a valid argument for the alleged collapse of trust between ADOR and NewJeans. The group's withdrawal from ADOR is considered arbitrary, that their artistic freedom or activity is not impeded since they are able to do so within their exclusive contract, and that any damages resulting from attempting independent activities are self-inflicted. (Sources: Yonhap News, NewsPim, News 1) The Korea Herald: K-pop High Court rejects NewJeans appeal, upholding ban on independent activities Post Soompi: Seoul High Court Denies NewJeans' Appeal Of Injunction Decision Looking Ahead: June 27: Special hearing for Source Music vs. MHJ to review KakaoTalk messages as evidence July 18: 3rd hearing for Belift Lab vs. MHJ (postponed from May 2nd) July 24: 3rd hearing for ADOR seeking confirmation of validity for their exclusive contract with NewJeans September 11: Next hearing regarding the Shareholder Agreement termination and exercising put/call options lawsuits between HYBE and Min Hee Jin Ongoing Legal Complaints/Investigations: HYBE's report to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) regarding potential insider trading by ADOR management (Korea JoongAng) HYBE's complaint against Min Hee Jin for 'breach of trust' (Yonhap) Belift Lab's complaint against Min Hee Jin for defamation (Soompi) and additionally for business interference (The Korea Herald) SOURCE MUSIC's lawsuit against Min Hee Jin for damages in regards to the disruption of business/defamation of LE SSERAFIM (Korea JoongAng) and additionally regarding alleged false claims by MHJ for the launch strategy of N Team/NewJeans (Soompi) British band Shakatak's plagiarism claim against NewJeans' 'Bubble Gum' (Yonhap) Min Hee Jin and HYBE executives filed reports against each other back-to-back (Soompi and Korea JoongAng) Former ADOR Employee 'B' filed complaint against MHJ in relation to sexual harassment cover-up and workplace mistreatment. (JTBC) MV Director Shin Woo Seok filed a lawsuit against ADOR CEO Kim Joo Young and ADOR VP Lee Do Kyung for defamation. (Korea JoongAng) MHJ's lawsuits against Belift Lab's Kim Tae Ho for defamation (Yonhap), HYBE CCO Park Tae Hee and PR Director Cho for breach of duty (Yonhap), and HYBE executives and Dispatch reporters for defamation. (Soompi) (One or both of these might be re-statements of earlier suits.) ADOR's lawsuit to determine validity of their contracts with NewJeans (Soompi) Link back to MEGATHREADS 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 GROUND RULES IN COMMENTS If you have come to this subreddit to discuss anything, you are choosing to participate in a moderated space with rules of conduct enforced by human beings. All users are subject to the discretion of moderators to manage this space even if it's in ways you don't agree with. Do not Insult users, fans, or artists. Don't denigrate a certain demographic of people (age, gender, nationality, etc). NO harassing, threatening, or wishing harm on anyone. Do not incite fanwars, reference old tribal resentments between different fandoms, or assume the worst of fellow users. Do not bring wild conspiracies from somewhere else on social media that have no clear or substantiated sources. Do not accuse other users of being a bot or paid shill. Do not abuse the report button. We report any form of report abuse directly to Reddit Admin. Refrain from linking to or discussing other subreddits. Do not encourage brigading in any way. Allow other subreddits and their mods to run their communities how they see fit. DO mention your sources and any use of AI/machine translation tools for quoting Korean articles. DO take care to link sources responsibly. Seek information sources which are reasonably neutral and are not affiliated with accounts known to insult or hate artists. Keep in mind that Allkpop, TheQoo, PannChoa and similar sites are banned in this subreddit. THE MODS KNOW there will be bots, trolls, bad actors, and oblivious new users coming to the subreddit. We will do what we can to mitigate the impact of them. But you alone are responsible for your own behavior. Express your opinion or arguments without breaking our conduct rules or we will be obligated to remove your comments. submitted by /u/KPOP_MOD [link] [comments]

Ew trump. I do not support any misogynistic, white nationalist, incel, hitler-like (esp. Musk), racists at all and neither does this sub and apparently neither does reddit as a site as a whole. He stands against everything Kpop stands for which is an art form from a formerly colonized people from a country that is rising up against colonialism and hatred. Anyone who comments anything negative to this, or tries to defend that orange guy will be banned permanently. Go somewhere else, we don't want your lower kind here. This is why American women everywhere are going 4b EDIT!!!: 4B 4B4B4B4B4B!! 4B IN THE SOUTH, 4B IN THE NORTH, 4B FROM TEXAS TO ALABAMA, FROM BYU TO COLOMBIA! 4B ALL FIFTY STATES! A CONVICTED PEDO AND FELON IS NOW PRESIDENT SO IF YOU'RE A WOMAN WITH ANY SELF RESPECT 4B, 4B, 4b (ESPCIALLY THE CONSERVATIVES!!!!) submitted by /u/Kpop_Love_Forever [link] [comments]

Hey folks! Over in r/kpop we just posted a new special Town Hall that is focused only on the Flairs we use to help organize our posts based on content categories. Link to r/kpop's 'All About Flairs' Town Hall We included announcements for new flairs here on r/kpoppers and also on r/kpophelp. The following is the section relevant for this subreddit. NEW FLAIRS! Connect - This flair will be used for anything where fans are trying to socially connect with each other. Announcing new K-Pop subreddits or Discords, looking for mutual fans on social media, wanting to meet up at a concert, seeking fans in a region to form a dance group, networking for a fan project, announcing a K-Pop night at a club, etc. Research - Academic surveys related to K-Pop or fandom topics. We'll keep an eye on these new flairs to see if they create any confusion or need adjustments. Let us know if you have any thoughts, concerns, or questions! submitted by /u/alleybetwixt [link] [comments]

The subreddit is mostly uncensored as long as people follow the rules. Generalizing statement about Korea, Korean society, etc or most other countries are not acceptable except under the following standards: The only claims that are acceptable when generalizing Korean society in this sub are those that bring up generalizable stastical claims by the standards of the international statistics institute. Not only do the vast majority of stastistics you can find on the internet about Korea not up to this minimum, basic standard but this requirement includes having ample sample size, blocking by relevant demographics and sometimes even double blind tests. So if you make a generalizing claim, your wording must be properly formatted and links to the relevant studies provided. In other words, the standard for making a generalization is very high in this sub. Not to mention the wording for your claim has to be properly made. Anyone who has taken a college level statistics class will know what I am talking about and we may even require you to provide the confidence level interval if it's relevant for your study. If you cannot meet these standards, I would just avoid doing it in general. submitted by /u/Kpop_Love_Forever [link] [comments]

I always wondered how relevant popular kpop idols are in the west, or the general public there. We always gosh about like lisa is getting brand deals here— she has millions of followers, Jungkook is the it boy, V is a global icon but like do a normal person know them outside the kpop bubble? I started wondering this when met gala came around and some people were reviewing the attendees outfits. I noticed how even if they were to make several parts to their review, they tend to go over or ignore kpop stars. So it made me think if we are just blinded by their influence over the kpop dome. If you were to compare these stars popularity to western pop artists, in terms of popularity, who do they resemble? submitted by /u/Snoo62767 [link] [comments]

╭────────────────╮ Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great week. My week was pretty good as I celebrated my birthday and Twice announced their tour date. The music released this week helped make the days pass as we transitioned into October. I can’t wait to dive deep into the tunes and see what the artists brought to the table. I’ve also been replaying some old games I haven’t played in a while, which has been a lot of fun. Now, let’s jump into the music and see what was released this week. ╰────────────────╯ https://preview.redd.it/2o8r22zisxsf1.jpg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86c25bcd436574a0f3606f327289b6c0f4e5bae0 Korean Releases of the Week: September 29th Season in the sun/Strategy - xooos Solo artist xooos is back with a new single called Season in the Sun. I found her music back 2023 when she released the single Naked. The track goes for this city-pop song as the singer sings in Japanese, fitting the vibe perfectly. I love the smooth instrumental that works well with the singer’s performance. The song has a relaxing feel with the groovy vibe that fits the singer. I’m always up for a city-pop-sounding tune, as it keeps bringing me back for more. For a Japanese song from Xooos, I find this one pleasant, but one that will have to grow on me a little more the more I hear it. The second song she released this week was Strategy which is a cover of the Twice song. The jazzy instrumental works wonderfully with the singer as this cover breathes new life into the Twice song. xooos is back with new music, and I’m wondering how much I’ll be coming back to it. https://preview.redd.it/f7c52r72txsf1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54e293fbeea2b6ee1514d20a60dd64b0e13ee09e ━━━━━━━━━★ October 1st 花のように - Onew Onew released his new Japanese album this week, and I decided to review my favorite song from the project. An acoustic guitar opens up the track with a piano melody, crafting the emotion with the smooth vocals from Onew. I love the delivery of the vocals that bring this smooth vibe, blending with the percussion and guitar melody. I’ve been enjoying the newest album that the singer has released, as I find Onew perfect singing in Japanese, but this song I chose works wonderfully with the performance from the singer, becoming one of my favorites from the album and one that keeps pulling me back for more. https://preview.redd.it/w60l9608txsf1.jpg?width=183&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4586932252152003e5bb7b5fcc27f3184d147a59 ━━━━━━━━━★ Non-Korean Releases of the Week: The Prequel - Luke Combs This week, Luke Combs released three new songs from his upcoming album, which is set to be released early next year. My Kind of Saturday Night is your playful, upbeat, fun country tune that Luke performs wonderfully. One thing I love about the song is the piano solo that transitions into the guitar solo before Luke Combs' vocals come back into the mix. 15 Minutes brings in the emotion as Luke sings about a prisoner talking to his mama on the phone and only has 15 minutes to talk. The instrumental is packed with emotion as it blends wonderfully with the vocals from Luke. Days Like These is also packed with emotion as Luke puts on a strong performance singing about love. I find the prequel to be a perfect sample of what this new album will bring to the table. https://preview.redd.it/ekinp7uetxsf1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35c29073ca6d311d252ffae8bdbdecf6087f9ccd ━━━━━━━━━★ Camera (Unplugged) - Ed Sheeran Last Month, Ed released his new album Play, which has been on repeat like crazy, and this week he released an unplugged version of Camera. A guitar opens up the track, bringing in the emotion from Ed and the choir, which surprised me. The lyrics hit even harder in this stripped version that I’m enjoying as much as the original. I love the chorus where the choir blends wonderfully with Ed’s smooth voice. I’m glad Ed is releasing these unplugged versions, as they give these songs a different vibe. I’m enjoying this new Era from Ed and can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us. https://preview.redd.it/7uf0t20ltxsf1.jpg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=084319866cb2c0651235a5f835112163750bdbfb ━━━━━━━━━★ Weekly Lastfm Roundup (September 26th - October 2nd) Artist: Twice https://preview.redd.it/jl76q4lstxsf1.jpg?width=1038&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75b566a1214cb3762fdf5151a6478d825a4ca17e ━━━━━━━━━★ Album: LIL FANTASY vol.1 - Chaeyoung https://preview.redd.it/54a9xxuwtxsf1.jpg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cd82795cf15cd43287194891c64ce57ed63d947 ━━━━━━━━━★ Song: Blink - Corbyn Besson & TZUYU https://preview.redd.it/6uaaadvytxsf1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdee5e5838396b6954cf8655ffc13a50268ceff7 submitted by /u/Maltifandom23 [link] [comments]

Imo Babymonster, Itzy, Idle, NMIXX, Ive, Rescene submitted by /u/Top-Owl4039 [link] [comments]

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Pic: wonbin riize submitted by /u/whoarre [link] [comments]

In my last post I asked people to drop their unpopular kpop opinions and someone wrote Jungkook is boring as a solo artist. While I completely disagree with the opinion but it had crazy amount of upvotes. So, what are your thoughts.While I feel his album Golden was quite generic and nothing ground breaking and it failed to showcase his artistry ..but can we collectively agree he is a great performer, not everyone can pull off songs like snty on stage.Tbh I did not like Snty on my first listen, but it grew on my after the live performances, the way he pulled of every stages he performed is actually impressive.He has good vocals, he is good in dancing but most importantly he has an insane stage presence.They energy he brings to the stage is actually commendable. I believe, what he needs to do is sit with his team and discuss properly about the artistic direction he wants to follow and involve more in the creative process of his solo work to give more flavour to it. Involving in the creative process not necessarily means writing all his songs...but he can give more inputs in the production process or give visual direction in the MVs (since he mentioned earlier he has a knack for videography) rather than just simply doing what's being told to do. Because, I think he has a great creative range and an artistic mind. He is also an amazing song writer. We have seen some glimpse of his creativity in songs like Euphoria or Still with you, Begin,My Time, Magic shop.I think he simply needs proper guidance to polish that.But, he is far from boring. submitted by /u/Due_Collection_3363 [link] [comments]

I had no idea so I thought about it and... I had this idea!! submitted by /u/Forward-Rabbit-5995 [link] [comments]

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For me I think it's those 3 txt songs. Eternally: I remember very well the first time I listened to it, I was laying in my bed. The first part of the song sounded like a lullaby so I was getting sleepy, but then the second distorted part came in and it literally jumpscared me 😅. It was so unexpected. But honestly, out of all the songs that have this change up in it, it's one of the best executed. It feels like a dream and a nightmare at the same time, truly a masterpiece. Frost: For this one, I didn’t expect to like it at all. Freeze was my very first comeback as a MOA so my expectations were very high. When I listened to the preview, I didn’t like the sound of it at first, so I was skeptical and a little worried. But I ended up loving the song, and even more after the performance video. It became one of my favorites from TXT. 0×1=LOVESONG: As I said, my expectations for this comeback were huge and they did not disappoint!!! It's still my favorite TXT song, and from K-pop as a whole. If only I could listen to it for the first time again… The song is truly mind-blowing, I can’t even describe it. Everything is just so perfect: the vocals, the instrumental, the emotions, the lyrics. It even dethroned Run Away as my favorite TXT song and I was completely obsessed with it when I was a new fan. I don't stan enhypen and Ateez (I'm more of a casual listener) but I also want to add Drunk-Dazed and Answer. They left me speechless, they are some of my favorite kpop songs. I really recommend people who have never heard of these songs to listen to them, truly one of a kind experience (at least for me)! I am also curious about yours and to make it more interessing It would be great if you explain why! submitted by /u/Technical_Walrus9158 [link] [comments]

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For me it’s Haerin, she has such pretty cat-like features that always catch my attention. submitted by /u/kachow2299 [link] [comments]

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I got so sad when i heard about their disbandment next month, their one of my ULTs. Now i am curious if the members will continue, together or individually? This is so sad, they could have been much bigger thanks to their talent, no skip discography fr!! Thank youu! submitted by /u/Bubbe103 [link] [comments]