NewJeans members not forced to fix teeth, stop Korean lessons, ADOR says

Girl group NewJeans [ADOR]

Girl group NewJeans's agency ADOR on Wednesday denied rumors that it stopped foreign members of the group from learning the Korean language and that it forced Hyein to have her teeth laminated.

Earlier this week, Hanni said that her agency did not let her take more Korean classes in the past during a Phoning live, a communication service between the group and its fans. Hanni is Vietnamese and grew up in Australia.

Following Hanni's comment, concerns arose as some fans started alleging ADOR wasn't letting Hanni and other foreign members learn the Korean language properly.

"Regarding members' language education, ADOR has been hiring instructors and scheduling classes based on the needs of NewJeans members," the company said on X, formerly Twitter. "We have been doing so continuously, and even recently, we had a separate language class for Hanni. This applies to Korean language education as well."

Hanni also denied the rumors.

"What I said during last phoning call, I think there's been a misunderstanding," Hanni said on Phoning. "About a year ago, I mentioned to my manager, who left the company earlier, about how I wanted to start doing Korean classes again and she replied on the spot very lightly, so I took it as a joke and also found it quite funny."

"That conversation [has] not reached my label or CEO as it was a light one. I feel awfully sorry about this," she added.

Other rumors regarding NewJeans members' access to education and health resurfaced, particularly whether Hyein had her teeth laminated.

"Academic matters and privacy-related matters are personal decisions that bear great importance to the members, and the company [has] never made decisions for them upon our own discretion," ADOR said.

"Hyein's decision to take the school equivalency exam and pursue homeschooling was entirely made by her parents."

ADOR added that it did not force Hyein to have her teeth laminated.

"Hyein started the dental program before joining Ador as a trainee, with the consent of her parents. Furthermore, the program was aimed at improving dental alignment safely while preserving her existing teeth as much as possible, which is clearly different from dental laminates."

The company also said that it "places utmost importance on the fact that the members of NewJeans are going through a significant phase of personal growth and learning that goes beyond their entertainment activities, encompassing all aspects of their daily lives."

To find out more about NewJeans, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]