[instiz] NEWJEANS’ NEW START AS NJZ, IS THE REASON BEHIND HEADING TO HONG KONG THE ILLEGAL STAY?

The girl group ‘NewJeans’ announced that they will change their team name to ‘NJZ’ and begin their first official activities with a concert in Hong Kong in March. This marks their ‘re-debut’ after debuting in 2022 with “Attention” under Ador, a major subsidiary of HYBE.

NewJeans has been continuing on an independent path after unilaterally declaring the termination of their exclusive contract with their agency, Ador, on November 28 of last year.

In the midst of this, it is speculated that the move to Hong Kong for their performance may be related to the expiration of the E-6 visa of their foreign member Hanni, which had prohibited full group entertainment activities within Korea.

Ador has filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contract and is maintaining the position that the contract is still in effect, including filing for injunctions to preserve their agency’s status and advertising contracts.

According to industry sources on the 11th, Hanni, who holds dual Australian-Vietnamese nationality, had her E-6 visa issued through Ador expire in early February.

Ador, which insists on the validity of the exclusive contract, prepared documents for Hanni’s visa extension. However, it is speculated that NewJeans, having completed official schedules through Ador as of January 4 and formalized their independent path, likely did not accept this offer.

NewJeans had previously announced in January, while seeking suggestions for a new activity name, that they had “absolutely no intention of returning to HYBE and Ador, who could not even expect the minimum trust.”

In light of this, NewJeans revealed their new team name and photos via official social media (SNS) on the 7th of this month. They also announced their participation in the global street fashion and culture festival “ComplexCon” at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong from March 21-23.

On the same day, member Minji stated through an official NJZ SNS live broadcast, “We will release NJZ’s new song and debut track on March 23, the last day of ComplexCon.” Hyein added, “We will soon have an agent (agency), so don’t worry too much.” Hanni also attended the live broadcast.

Despite not revealing a new agency, they continue entertainment activities through their official SNS. If Hanni has not already received or is not in the process of receiving a new E-6 visa through a new agency, this would be illegal. Reports of suspected immigration law violations due to the expiration of Hani’s visa have surfaced within fan communities.

To renew her visa with a new agency before the expiration date, consent from her previous agency is required. However, if the visa has already expired, consent from the previous agency is not necessary. Ador has stated they cannot confirm the expiration of Hanni’s visa or provide information on transfer agreements.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which issues employment recommendations necessary for new visa issuance or extensions, also stated, “We cannot confirm such details as they are considered personal information.”

The Ministry of Justice, in response to inquiries from Chosun Biz, stated, “Information regarding the expiration of a specific foreigner’s (Hanni’s) E-6 visa, changes in residency status, or extension applications is considered personal information, and it is difficult to provide a response. However, if the E-6 visa expires without receiving permission for a visa change or extension, the individual will be in an illegal stay status.”

However, they added, “If a residency status change or extension application is under review by the relevant immigration office before the expiration date, even if the residency period exceeds, it will not be considered illegal stay if it is in ‘pending’ status.”

Some have speculated that Hong Kong was chosen for their first independent activity as a way to buy time for visa issuance and other requirements for full group activities. A legal expert pointed out, “The lawsuit with their former agency, Ador, is still ongoing, and depending on the result, it may be possible to restore the contract through financial means such as compensation or reinstating the contract.

source: https://n.news.naver.com/article/366/0001052867

original post: here

1. Huh?

2. Ugh this is so tiring, who cares?

3. Chosun Biz Jang Woojung journalist at it again 

4. ㅋㅋ Hanni is living just fine in Korea right now 

5. But it’s not like they’ll spend months in Hong Kong, they’re only there for a few days. What “buy time”?

6. So is Zico also a foreigner for going to Hong Kong?

7. Ugh I’m so tired of this 

8. Seriously are they insane? What’s the point of mediaplaying with this all the time?

9. Those trash journalists are going around golfing 

10. The rac*sm is so low seriously ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ