Representative K-pop girl group NewJeans has officially stepped down from their position as promotional ambassador for the Incheon Airport Customs Office. The ambassador contract, which was appointed last March, ended after one year, and it has been confirmed that the NewJeans promotional banners installed at the Incheon Airport arrivals hall have also been removed.
The Customs Office expressed high expectations when appointing NewJeans, stating “as globally influential K-pop artists, they are suitable for promoting services such as customs clearance and illegal goods control.” However, a month after the appointment, ongoing management conflicts between their agency ADOR and HYBE emerged and reversed the situation.
Recently, the court granted ADOR’s injunction request to preserve their status as a production agency and prohibit advertising contracts, placing NewJeans in a situation where independent activities are not possible until the main court ruling.
This complex legal situation seems to have served as a burden in continuing collaborations with public institutions, and as campaigns featuring NewJeans are being sequentially phased out, there is growing interest in the group’s future activities.