Korea Popmusic Industry Association Pushes Back on NYT's NewJeans Contract Report
The Korea Popmusic Industry Association said on Nov. 9 KST that it is "deeply concerned" by a recent New York Times report on NewJeans' exclusive contract, calling it a one-sided assessment of K-pop's contracts and trainee system.
A major K-pop industry body has publicly criticized The New York Times over its recent report on NewJeans' exclusive contract. In a statement on Nov. 9 KST, the Korea Popmusic Industry Association said it regretted that the paper took the controversy around one individual contract and interpreted it as a structural problem for the whole K-pop industry.
The association argued that contracts should be judged alongside supplementary agreements, Korean law, how they were signed and how they were carried out. It pointed to the government's standard exclusive contract for pop culture artists and the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, and said major agencies sign the standard supplementary agreement for minors with all trainees.
KPIA also said it was deeply concerned that a contract covered by confidentiality obligations in an ongoing legal dispute had been disclosed through foreign media. According to Yonhap, the Times reported on Nov. 5 local time that the contract NewJeans' members signed as teenage trainees was unusually restrictive, a claim ADOR and HYBE have rebutted.
Confirmed
- The Korea Popmusic Industry Association (KPIA) issued a statement on Nov. 9, 2026 (KST) expressing deep concern over a New York Times report that cited the exclusive contract of a K-pop artist. The statement did not name the act; Yonhap, Financial News and Korea JoongAng Daily identify it as the report on NewJeans' contract.
- In the statement, KPIA called the report a "one-sided and biased assessment" that did not sufficiently consider the legality of contracts made under Korean law or the value of K-pop's incubation system (wording per Korea JoongAng Daily's translation).
- KPIA said the fairness and legality of an exclusive contract must be judged together with supplementary agreements, relevant laws, the circumstances of signing and actual implementation, not individual clauses alone.
- KPIA said major K-pop companies including HYBE sign the government's standard supplementary agreement for minors with their trainees, covering personal rights and rights to sleep, education and rest, and expressed concern that a contract under confidentiality in an ongoing legal dispute was disclosed through foreign media.
Reported by other outlets
- Yonhap reports that the New York Times published its report on Nov. 5 local time, saying it had obtained the confidential contract NewJeans' members signed as teenage trainees and that the terms were unusually restrictive.
- Yonhap and Financial News report that ADOR and parent company HYBE had already rebutted the report, saying NewJeans' exclusive contract includes basic human-rights protection clauses.
- The Korea Herald reports that KPIA's members include major entertainment companies such as HYBE, SM, JYP and YG.
Unconfirmed
- The New York Times had not publicly responded to KPIA's statement as of publication.
Analysis
2FC NEWSROOM analysis: An industry-wide association stepping in moves the debate from one company's dispute to how K-pop contracts are viewed abroad, so further responses from the Times, ADOR or NewJeans' side are the next things to watch.