The Korean Music Content Association (KMCA) , which supports the interests of HYBE Labels , recently spoke out about the conflict between NewJeans and their agency, ADOR. The KMCA, active since 2008 and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism , plays a crucial role in protecting intellectual property rights in the Korean music industry and managing the Circle Chart , South Korea's official music chart.

In a December 13 statement, the KMCA denounced the practice of "tampering," where producers allegedly encourage young artists and their families to terminate their contracts with their agencies. The KMCA specifically cited the " FIFTY FIFTY " case and mentioned that former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin is facing similar allegations. The association expressed concern about the increasing frequency of such cases in the K-pop industry, highlighting the impact on companies of all sizes.

The statement warned that allowing producers to exploit their relationships with artists and their families to gain independence from agencies could undermine the industry's ability to discover, train and promote new talent .

In response to the KMCA's latest statement, Korean netizens have strongly criticized the association for what they consider unfair pressure on NewJeans to remain under ADOR's control. Here are some reactions:

"Why talk about 'regardless of its authenticity'? Why ignore it? The ranking should be fair."

"Look at the current situation before creating a controversy. Legislators are on night duty, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is on the verge of insurrection, and you're talking about reforming the manipulation system? LOL. As expected from a company linked to Kim Keon Hee."

"Why is everything so corrupt, seriously?"

"They don't even call it manipulation, so who are you to declare it as such? I can't believe I'm seeing such an official statement."

"They ask members to ignore and disregard greetings, push negative media narratives to diminish their achievements, steal event and advertising contracts, and force them to return to a company that has written documents containing sexual harassment? It's too much."

"If they're leaving because of a breach of contract, why are you asking them to come back? Unbelievable. Who do they think they are? LOL."

"Wow, who do they think they are to tell others to live like slaves?"

"How much were they paid to do this, LOL."

"Haha, looks like they're related to HYBE or something."

"What? Have these madmen lost their minds?"

"So they're saying they're going to manipulate the rankings? Oh wow, LOL."

"These insane people—Circle Chart is so disgusting."