Korean orgs reject idea of ‘oppressive control’ in K-pop industry
A trade body criticised The New York Times' reporting, saying the development system "should not be judged solely through a Western lens"
News By Hanna Ellington | 9 November 2026
HYBE subsidiary label ADOR and the Korea Popmusic Industry Association (KPIA) have pushed back on The New York Times reporting around the contracts of K-pop group NewJeans, with the latter saying…
that the “distinctive” training and development system “should not be belittled as ‘oppressive control”‘.
Trade body KPIA – whose members include K-pop’s Big Four agencies HYBE, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment – criticised the report, saying the K-pop development ecosystem has “its own characteristics and competitive…
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