A recent move by the ADOR agency left NewJeans fans split over Danielle Marsh. At the end of December, we reported that membership changes were announced for the controversial group. Notably, the statement at the time suggested that Danielle’s contract was to be terminated. Well, that happened and now some folks feel confused about it.
People Hoped For Full Resolution
A few days ago, K-Pop Spy, known for slamming the vagaries of netizens, talked about it on YouTube. In her monologue, she reminded folks that Danielle’s contract termination came along with a filing for breach of contract and reputation damage.
The news arrived just after fans had hoped for full resolution and the full group getting back together. That’s despite enough people complaining that broken trust would never fix the group’s reputation with music fans. But since then, many people feel that ADOR seems vindictive.
It’s Not Personal?
K-Pop Spy explained that it’s got nothing to do with personal feelings. Instead, she pointed out that it’s simply a business decision and has nothing to do with personalities. According to her, ADOR had to “make one person the breach example so the rest fall in line.”
Saving the group by one termination – NewJeans – Via K-Pop-Spy – YouTube
She interpreted the departure of Danielle as a “corporate pressure move” designed to ensure the compliance of the other four members. In fact, the essence of Spy’s argument depends on a crucial point.
Outlining that, she distinguished the members’ actions by types. She considered Hanni’s public actions, for example, going to the National Assembly, as a manageable “public relations issue.”
On the other hand, she saw Danielle’s alleged unauthorized contracts as a direct legal breach. This difference, Spy claimed, made Danielle a unique liability, saying:
Legal breaches are the kind of thing that makes executives wake up at 4 a.m. and call counsel…[while] PR breaches are simply handed to the communications team.
Sacrifice One For The Asset
Basically, K-Pop Spy’s narrator argued that the firm’s main concern was about “preserving its asset.” Obviously, a full five-member group for NewJeans would have been great for business. But when one member becomes a “loose wire,” cutting them out becomes the “rational choice to save the rest.”
The move, although severe, was about controlling risk. As she put it plainly, companies in such a position “don’t do morality. They do risk math.” The agency, on the other hand, is going ahead with its plans to market NewJeans as a quartet, betting that a “stable, controllable unit is better than a perfect but legally fraught team.”
Viewers React
The fanbase still seems split over the decision. One person opined in the comments section, “I don’t understand why people are screaming ‘NewJeans is OT5’ as if Danielle/her family didn’t do this to themselves. They only care that their fantasy is falling apart.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- Bunnies are so stupid. Treating Danielle’s situation like it’s some sort of targeted attack is absolutely ridiculous. ADOR is a company, and companies need to be able to trust their employees, and even more they need to show value to shareholders, which they can’t do if there’s so much uncertainty in the future of their products.
- People saying it was unexpected.. it was expected? She broke her contract.
- Did people seriously expect zero consequences? Genuinely possibly the most naïve kpoppies [that] have ever been imo.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that ADOR had to do what they did? Or do you still feel they were vindictive towards Danielle from NewJeans? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your K-pop news and updates.
