Japanese model Harin, once slated to debut with NewJeans, has now been officially confirmed to have signed a trainee contract with ADOR under former CEO Min Hee Jin. Though she was only months away from debuting, her dream ended abruptly a fact now substantiated by official documents.
For a long time, some online communities dismissed Harin’s account, accusing her of fabricating claims about being part of the NewJeans lineup and insisting she had only trained under Source Music. However, newly revealed evidence proves otherwise.
On August 19, the YouTube channel Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho released a video titled “Shocking Exclusive, Trainee Contract Revealed: The Truth Behind Harin’s Exit from the NewJeans Debut Team.” The video presented Harin’s official trainee contract with ADOR, signed on January 7, 2022, by Harin, her parents, and Min Hee Jin. The contract, originally set to run until January 6, 2023, was terminated after just two months.
Born in 2003, Harin first entered the K-pop trainee system after passing a Source Music audition in 2020. She later transferred to ADOR and was included in the NewJeans debut lineup, only to be cut shortly before the group’s official debut.
In July, Harin appeared on Japanese actor Hiromitsu Takeda’s YouTube channel, where she recounted being suddenly told her contract was terminated and ordered to return to Japan. According to her, she had already been confirmed as part of NewJeans’ final lineup when the company abruptly cut ties. She claimed her phone and iPad were confiscated, her dorm access revoked, and she was forced to leave Korea in complete isolation.
Amid the renewed spotlight on her story, Harin has since made her YouTube channel private and returned to Japan to focus on recovery.
