By Ju-min Park

SEOUL (Reuters) – Members of NewJeans, one of the most popular K-pop groups, said on Thursday they were leaving their agency ADOR, a subsidiary of power label HYBE.

The group is caught in the middle of a power struggle between executives at parent company HYBE and ADOR’s former executive, the band’s creative director.

The latest controversy in the K-pop scene has gripped South Korea this year, with a blame game of accusations, audits and an emotional press conference making headlines.

The five members held a press conference late at night to announce their departure from the agency, saying that they would like to work with Min Hee-jin, the former boss who left ADOR.

“Once we leave ADOR, we will strive to freely continue with the activities we really want,” said Danielle, one of the members.

“We really wish to be able to release new music for Bunnies next year, as soon as possible and whenever,” she said, referring to her fans. “We really hope we have the opportunity to meet you from all over the world.”

The members said that they might no longer be able to use the band’s name once they terminated the contract with ADOR.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by William Maclean)