KBS issued an apology for broadcasting false information about NewJeans, acknowledging confusion and promising to improve fact-checking.
August/27/2025 18:18Related Groups & Members
KBS apologized for broadcasting content that differs from facts regarding the group NewJeans. Today (27th), the station clarified through the viewer petition board on its official website that on August 8, during the in-depth interview segment of KBS 1 Radio 'Success Prediction with Lee De-ho', an interview was conducted on the theme of 'Current Status and Outlook of the Entertainment Industry' with external participants, during which factual statements regarding the lawsuit situation and the release of sound sources concerning NewJeans were made. They expressed, 'We sincerely apologize for causing concern and confusion to NewJeans, their fans, and all listeners.' Previously, on the 8th, during the broadcast of 'Success Prediction with Lee De-ho', a researcher from an investment securities company appeared as a panelist. While discussing the future outlook of the K-POP industry, he mentioned NewJeans, sparking controversy. He stated, 'A conclusion was reached that NewJeans should belong to ADOR, and NewJeans accepted that result,' and 'NewJeans officially released sound sources under the name NJZ.' However, NewJeans is currently still in a lawsuit to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract with ADOR. In March, the court accepted ADOR's provisional disposition application, but a ruling on the main case has not yet been made. The claim that NewJeans accepted the ruling is also not true, and the YouTube video released under the name NJZ was not official. Immediately after the broadcast of the program, a post appeared on the petition board from listeners demanding 'KBS Radio to condemn the broadcasting of false information and to prevent recurrence,' with over 2000 users agreeing to it. Furthermore, another petition was submitted, and the debate gradually grew larger. KBS later commented, 'It was judged that the relevant participant misinterpreted the content regarding the acceptance of the provisional disposition application in March, and it seems they did not accurately grasp the contents of the main lawsuit. It was confirmed that the point about NewJeans operating as NJZ and the new song video uploaded to YouTube was not an officially released sound source.' Acknowledging the misinformation, KBS reiterated their apology for causing confusion and explained that the part of the statement in question was deleted from the archive. Regarding future measures, they stated, 'Although immediate fact-checking is difficult due to the nature of broadcasting, careful attention is necessary. As a public broadcaster, we will strengthen verification procedures to fulfill our responsibility for factual reporting and human rights protection.' The five members of NewJeans claimed last November that their exclusive contract with the HYBE subsidiary label ADOR was terminated and began independent activities. In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit in January this year against the members of NewJeans to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract and to prohibit them from engaging in activities related to the status of the planner and advertising contracts. The court accepted this in March, preventing NewJeans from continuing their activities until the main lawsuit concludes. The court has announced a mediation date between ADOR and NewJeans on September 11, with a final ruling date scheduled for October 30.
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