WHO IS: "Ban Heesoo (반희수)" is the name of a fictional character that starred in the DITTO music video, essentially the unidentified girl (played by South Korean actress, Park Ji-Hu) holding the camcorder, and of her POV of the members of NewJeans as fellow students that were a fiction of her imagination (*Up for interpretation).. The MV themselves were presented in two versions: Side A and Side B.
Starting off as a casual fan of NJ, I had not known about this lore, and was only enlightened by digging into more of the current news of "MV deletion(s)" of the Director's Cut of "DITTO"", as well the Dolphiners' dedicated "Ban Heesoo" channel (scroll thru for more). And what I found was not just the character's name (which according to newjeans.fandom.com also used to represent NewJeans' fandom, Bunnies (버니즈)), but also the viral promotion(s) connected to DITTO, that led to a dance video of OMG.
The first video was uploaded to the channel (circa December 22, 2022) featuring "behind-the-scenes footage of the NewJeans members from the Ditto MV. The videos were uploaded every day for over a month with the last currently being the video titled "20230204", a special dance video of OMG.".vThis provided a more immersive experience for NJ, and as well embraces fans/Bunnies as "Ban Heesoo" herself. Giving full "permission"/excuse to experience the para-social experience that is prevalent in KPOP, IMHO. You can read more about the channel via newjeans.fandom.com/wiki/Ban_Heesoo.
The status of the YT-channel had gone thru a significant amount of "drama" for the past week, based on miscommunication or alleged media-play, which I've gathered and shared here today. The exchanges are between director Shin Wooseok (of Dolphiners), and the unnamed "Ador" press releases, all of whom where based on online translations, so keep in mind there might be subtle difference in words and intent, IMHO. Judge for yourselves, and as well I hope to provide a "archive" or what would well be fleeting exchanges on social media platforms ... Plus my unsolicited personal impressions, cheers. Onward!
Also, these transactions and situations after Min HeeJin was "replaced" as the CEO by a HYBE-appointed personnel, whose face was revealed purposefully (methinks), in p3erhaps a bid to (mis)direct the public's attention away from... well, you figure it out yourselves :p
Shin Wooseok via Instagram Story (English translation via X post):
“There seems to be a change in Ador’s policy, which has changed its management. Due to the request for deletion by Ador, all the NewJeans music videos, related videos and channels that the dolphin gang has worked on and uploaded so far, and the videos that were scheduled to be uploaded in the future, cannot be released.
The Dolphin Mobilization Company and the Ban Hee-soo YouTube channel operate the portfolio archiving we worked on and generate no revenue of W1. These videos and channels were created with the voluntary intention of making good works for fans and do not generate any profits for the dolphin mob. However, all videos are deleted and cannot be released according to the request of Ador, who has changed his position. I don't think it will be possible to collaborate with the dolphin gang and the adore as of today. I'm sorry I couldn't keep the projects that I promised to work with the NewJeans children. I'm sorry for the staff, who have been working all night for months, and most of all, for the fans who must have waited”
[📢] Shin Wooseok via Instagram Story
— NewJeans Central (@NewJeansCentral) September 2, 2024
“There seems to be a change in Ador’s policy, which has changed its management. Due to the request for deletion by Ador, all the NewJeans music videos, related videos and channels that the dolphin gang has worked on and uploaded so far, and… pic.twitter.com/ikxNQ0BnOk
My initial reactions: Of course all these were done to (A) control the narrative and source, essentially a warning and silencing of the NJ fandom with this symbolic gesture. And (B) push MHJ to a corner by threatening the girls and their work thus far. Perhaps blackmailing MHJ to choose the girls' well-being over her own battle with her current agency, which has taken steps to oust her from her position and crippling her power.
Continuing the train of conspiracy theories, (C) is to exert and showcase their powers over the situation, proving their ability to ensure their investors and shareholders' funds are in competent hands, and not at the mercy of a sole (former) CEO and fans of NJ.
Who hates a "money-maker"? Everything needed will be squeezed dry at the end of the day, contract obligations fulfilled, business as usual.
Remembering LOONA and the boycott, which proved successful because there was unity and action in the fans and Orbits, and as importantly, the agency had only a sole group to manage and make money out of (discounting SunYe at that time), so BBC was essentially held hostage with the boycott. But this conglomerate is different, as they possess different groups and income sources. "Sustaining a loss" is better than "loosing a source", I reckon.
So no, the group will not be disbanded (why destroy a cash-cow?), and instead will be squeezed dry, subject to their own allegiance chosen after MHJ exits, which I feel is the ultimate goal of the parent company. Non-compliance will be excluded permanently... "business" demands it, not "hashtags", unfortunately.
And the following was ADOR's response to director Shin's statement (Written in Korean, with English translations from X):
"Hello. This is Adore.
We would like to inform you of Adore’s position regarding the statement posted by Director Shin Woo-seok of Dolphin Kidnapping Group on his Instagram on September 2nd.
The director's cut of the ETA music video that Dolphin Kidnapping Group posted on their own SNS channel is an edited version that includes parts that were previously disagreed with by advertisers, and was posted without permission from the advertisers.
In addition, since the copyright of the music video and all related works of New Jeans belongs to Adore according to the contract between Adore and Dolphin Kidnapping Group, the ETA music video and its edits (including the director's cut) must be posted on our official channels. This is to protect the rights of the artists.
In response, Adore only requested that the Dolphin Kidnapping Group stop posting the director's cut video, and has not requested the deletion or cessation of uploads of any videos related to New Jeans, including the Ban Hee-soo channel. Adore's channel operation policy has also not changed.
However, Dolphin Kidnapping Group director Shin Woo-seok is spreading false information that Adore requested the deletion of not only the director's cut video but also all videos related to New Jeans, including the Ban Hee-soo channel.
Adore would like to inform you that Director Shin Woo-seok's claims above are significantly different from the facts, and we strongly regret the breach of contract and the dissemination of false information by the Dolphin Kidnapping Group.
We will do our best to ensure that the deleted Newzin's content can be uploaded to Adore's official channels in the future.
thank you"
안녕하세요. 어도어입니다.
— ADOR (@alldoorsoneroom) September 2, 2024
돌고래유괴단의 신우석 감독이 9월 2일 본인의 인스타그램을 통해 게시한 입장문 관련하여 어도어의 입장을 알려드립니다.
돌고래유괴단이 자체 SNS 채널에 올린 ETA 뮤직비디오 디렉터스 컷은 과거 광고주와도 이견이 있었던 부분이 포함된 편집물로, 광고주와의 협의…
My initial reaction(s): With the lack of a official English translation of their statement, (New)ADOR is essentially controlling the response and backlash of English-speaking fans, while relinquishing control over social media platforms with unsubstantiated translations of intentions.
And while copyright disagreements are a legitimate concern, posting "breach of contract" warnings on public platforms instead of outright suing the perpetrator, is obvious mediaplay, as far as the naked eye can read.
But again, in light of current global habits, the he-said / she-said / they-say situations proliferates more to promote both sides of the conflict, that leads to nowhere but being the effective distraction of the problem(s) at hand, IMHO. One side is loosing the plot, while the other's plotting bores further success, IMHO.
(Dated 240903) Shin Wooseok instagram story:
"What on earth are you saying? Today, I reconfirmed over the phone the agreement we made regarding the upload of the director's cut. The three companies involved in the production at the time agreed to release the director's cut on Dolphiners’ channel for the fans. However, the current ADOR management is falsely claiming that Dolphiners posted the director's cut without permission. Why are you dragging in unrelated third parties to manipulate the media? This not only disregards the unwritten rules of the advertising industry but also betrays the basic trust essential in business.
It was ADOR that insisted that videos with copyrights and image rights owned by them should only be posted on official accounts, and that they could not exist on third-party channels, demanding their deletion. You threatened to send a legal notice and claim double the service fees as a penalty if we didn't delete the videos by Monday morning after issuing a unilateral deletion request on Sunday evening. Now, what are you talking about? Did you only find out about Ban Hee-soo's channel after the deletion? Common sense says, what director in the world would burn their own work? Why would I do such a thing? The Ban Hee-soo channel was an extension of the project I directed, "Ditto," and it was a channel and videos that I voluntarily created for the fans without any compensation. And now, you're claiming that I suddenly deleted everything without any motive?
Dolphiners worked hard to create a great music video, volunteering to work without compensation for the sake of the project’s quality and the fans. And despite the current ADOR management’s unreasonable demands, which went against the previous agreement, we deleted the videos. You don't even know the terms of the original agreement, so what exactly is your complaint? Why are you trying to paint Dolphiners as a contract violator and a spreader of false information? Whether it's because I submitted a petition, refused to make music videos for HYBE, or if it's part of an effort to erase NewJeans, stop distorting the truth with dirty media tactics. But I guess you'll just keep doing it."
240903 Shin Wooseok instagram story
— 1tokki (@juantokki) September 3, 2024
What on earth are you saying? Today, I reconfirmed over the phone the agreement we made regarding the upload of the director's cut. The three companies involved in the production at the time agreed to release the director's cut on Dolphiners’… pic.twitter.com/WhKF57okDW
(Dated: 240909) Shin Wooseok instagram story:
"Good morning. CEO Kim Jooyoung and Deputy CEO Lee Dokyung, I have the recordings and emails, so please stop lying. In ADOR’s official statement, I’m labeled as someone spreading false information, yet behind the scenes, you’re trying so hard to contact and persuade me. Instead of protecting ADOR’s staff, you’re falsely accusing them. Is this how you’ve been handling things up until now? We’ve been mistreated for so long that it’s hard to adjust. If this is how you treat those of us who work in other industries, I can’t even imagine what it’s like for workers in the entertainment industry.
I’ve received legal counsel, and according to the original agreement, the ownership of the Ban Hee-soo channel belongs to Dolphiners. However, the rights to the channel aren’t particularly important to us. We only care that the Ban Hee-soo channel continues to exist as an extension of the work. From the beginning, the channel was created for the fans without any compensation, and we no longer want to see the fans anxious, fearing it will be permanently deleted due to this dispute. We considered transferring the channel to the fan club, but we couldn’t come up with a good solution. Therefore, we intend to transfer ownership of the channel to ADOR. However, this comes with one condition: absolute preservation. The channel must be maintained under the principle of absolute preservation, meaning nothing can be deleted, modified, or added.
And I have just one request: apologize.
•Apologize for the aggressive demands for correction that disrespected our collaborators.
•Apologize for ignoring the existing agreement and making baseless claims of copyright infringement.
•Apologize for criticizing Dolphiners and CEO Shin Woo-seok through your official statement.
If you post an apology that includes these points on ADOR’s official channels by the end of today, Dolphiners will transfer ownership of the Ban Hee-soo channel to ADOR. All ADOR needs to do is apologize. What we want is for ADOR to acknowledge their wrongdoing and resolve this situation for the confused fans. So, don’t cowardly add any unnecessary statements—just apologize.
If there’s no apology, I will look into ways to transfer the Ban Hee-soo channel directly to the fans, provide evidence of the original agreement, and sue ADOR for defamation. And even though I’ve asked you not to, you keep doing it—stop misleading the truth with dirty media manipulation. But I’m sure you’ll do it again anyway."
240909 Shin Wooseok instagram story
— 1tokki (@juantokki) September 9, 2024
Good morning. CEO Kim Jooyoung and Deputy CEO Lee Dokyung, I have the recordings and emails, so please stop lying. In ADOR’s official statement, I’m labeled as someone spreading false information, yet behind the scenes, you’re trying so hard… pic.twitter.com/i3a6uk2M4Z
The following was posted on pannchoa.com's report:
"Hello, this is ADOR.
In the contract between ADOR and Dolphin Kidnapper for the production of the music video, all rights, including the music video itself and any derivative works, are owned by ADOR. Therefore, posting a video that includes NewJeans' intellectual property (IP) on Dolphin Kidnapper’s channel without ADOR’s approval is a clear breach of the contract.
For this reason, ADOR simply asked Dolphin Kidnapper to either provide proof (such as emails or messages) of an agreement and approval for the use of the copyright and the artist’s likeness, or, if no such proof exists, to take down the "Director's Cut" video. Protecting the artist’s work is a basic responsibility of the label. If Dolphin Kidnapper has any agreement with ADOR, they can present it. Since no proof has been provided, ADOR has no choice but to follow the rules to protect the artist's work.
It is also true that ADOR received a request to remove or edit the "Director's Cut" of NewJeans’ "ETA" music video due to parts that reflected the advertiser’s brand. (Below is an image of the Slack message that was reported internally at the time.)
ADOR never asked Dolphin Kidnapper to delete videos from the Ban Hee-soo channel. The Ban Hee-soo channel was created by an ADOR staff member following the company's "online channel creation guidelines." ADOR only conducted a fact-check on the "ETA Director's Cut" video to protect the artist's copyright, and we have never mentioned the Ban Hee-soo channel. ADOR also does not want the Ban Hee-soo channel to disappear, and Dolphin Kidnapper is welcome to continue operating the channel. However, we ask that you adhere to the contractual agreements regarding the artist’s work.
We don’t believe that deleting all content in response to pointing out a breach of contract reflects the genuine pain of the creator or benefits NewJeans and their fans. We hope that no further actions will be taken that increase anxiety for the artist and the fandom by using the YouTube channel as leverage.
We apologize to the NewJeans members and Bunnies (the fanbase) for the unnecessary controversy and any distress this may have caused. ADOR will work to resolve this issue as quickly and accurately as possible.
Thank you."
My reaction: The to-and-fro continues, but why do I feel we are being intentionally distracted from something else that might be happening behind the scenes? Or perhaps it is the agency selling and buying back their own stocks? Or something more nefarious? Having issues with BTS-member V's fancies being "deleted" could well be a part of the distraction, or simply the agency is "cleaning house" or exerting the perception of power, to appease the stock-holders? All these have been dragged out for a little too long, in public view too, "helping" foks "forget" about MHJ being ousted? Even "successfully" be apart of the creations of "New ADOR" buzzword? Either way, we (the general public) lap it all up, don't we? I know I have (!), and am getting weary, although I am a casual listener, and not as invested into NewJeans as their fans are, and affect their own well-being amidst all this, on top of daily fanwars? Why has it become so hard to enjoy the music? Yes, I sound like a boomer, because I am, thanks.
(Dated: Sept 10, 2024) Shin Wooseok via Instagram stories:
"Every time I see your statement, I get frustrated. Why do you keep changing your words and lying when all you need to do is admit your mistake and apologize? What do you think of the recordings and emails we have? If you're so confident, why did you try to coerce the person spreading false information? When your employee tried to stop you, you ignored them, and now you blame the employee? It was the management that caused the threats and coercion, so why are you making the employee a scapegoat?
Let me make this clear: all the content and channels we uploaded were agreed upon. Just because the management has changed doesn't mean they disappear. Even the director's cut, which Ador raised an issue with in the statement, was something the three parties agreed upon, and although there were some minor tagline revision requests, there’s still no problem with uploading the video.
Despite this, Ador is dragging in third parties to cause more damage through this dispute. We clearly communicated to Ador through a separate message that the third party did not want to be mentioned, yet they continue to distort the situation by involving that third party. Right now, the companies that participated in this project are likely suffering from this petty behavior. what is this talk in your official statement about the “pure agony of the creator”? That doesn’t exist.
When you negate an agreement and threaten us with tens of billions in penalties, even Ngannou would have no choice but to take down the video. Moreover, Ador demanded the deletion immediately, not that any evidence be provided. How can you now claim it was only about the director’s cut when you initially raised issues about copyright and likeness rights for content on unofficial accounts? Are the kids appearing in the other videos not NewJeans? If we hadn’t deleted those videos, what would Ador have said? I cannot believe how easily you lie despite the evidence.
It was a long time ago, but we worked on the project with affection, hoping to create a great piece of work. I don’t understand why we have to suffer from the internal conflicts of Ador, but we even gave up our rightful claims due to their threats and coercion. According to the statement they’re freely putting out, assuming the public has no way of knowing the truth, if we can prove the agreement, Ador will undoubtedly lose. It seems like it's time to go to court. Legally, it’s said to be an easy case. In the end, it seems Ador just wants to drag things out and avoid public backlash. Since they haven’t apologized, we will submit or release the recordings, emails, and materials we have in sequence as necessary, and we will sue CEO Kim Juyoung and Deputy CEO Lee Dokyung for defamation.
The ownership of the Ban Heesoo channel legally belongs to Dolphin Kidnappers. We are also looking into how we can transfer the channel to the fans. Ador claimed in their statement yesterday that they are okay with Dolphin Kidnappers managing the Ban Heesoo channel, but this is a blatant lie. Just a few days ago, they were trying to convince us behind the scenes to hand over only the Ban Heesoo channel. According to their refusal to acknowledge the existing agreement, issues of copyright and portrait rights concerning the videos would inevitably arise. This is nothing more than wordplay meant to deceive the public. Honestly, I thought that by creating an exit where all they had to do was apologize, this situation would be resolved. I didn’t think the management of Ador, an entertainment company, would make such a decision in front of the public. I also believed they would at least consider the position of the artists who need protection and the confused fans, but I was wrong.
I don’t want the fans to suffer anymore, and since Ador refuses to take responsibility, I will take it upon myself to reopen the Ban Heesoo channel. If Ador wants to file a lawsuit over this, they can go ahead. I’m reopening the Ban Heesoo channel right now."
Shin Wooseok:
— NewJeans Loops 🐇 (@newjeans_loop) September 10, 2024
Every time I see your statement, I get frustrated. Why do you keep changing your words and lying when all you need to do is admit your mistake and apologize? What do you think of the recordings and emails we have? If you're so confident, why did you try to coerce… pic.twitter.com/qCNuJq3IPF
"Ban Heesoo" YouTube channel is back up, & perfect opportunity to download & archive the videos, before they ever get pulled again...https://t.co/JTE7jnso7o
— toysrevil (@toysrevil) September 10, 2024
Who Is "Ban Heesoo"? Featured on #TUNESTALLKSG: https://t.co/HDub7HgEsY. pic.twitter.com/iFO3igGklt
And with that youtube.com/@banheesoo is now (re)opened as of today, and the very first video is embedded below, as well all watchable now (ever ready for fans to download and archive), before anything else happens to the channel, IMHO.
One of my "regrets" for LOONA (before the boycott went down), was not being able to access their past discography to share online, while choosing to continue to boycott the agency. If the girls from LOONA did not continue their KPOP journey thus far (be it ARTMS, LOOSSEMBLE or Chuu and Yves' solos), then I truly fear their legacy might be "lost" in prolonged time... and that would suck the soul out of me, I admit. I have their albums and music, of course, but LOONA is not just about the sopundscape, but of the visual stories and lore, and I have no doubt, that as "young" as NewJeans' KPOP-journey has been thus far, they would be a pride and joy of KPOP worth preserving, IMHO.
END (of this blogpost)