Japanese-born model Harin (real name Harada Rin) has broken her silence after facing a wave of online backlash following remarks that connected her to NewJeans.
Born in 2003, Harin began her career in the Japanese local idol group Shibu3 Project before passing an audition for HYBE’s subsidiary Source Music in 2020. She claimed to have joined the debut lineup of “N-Team,” a pre-debut group under Source Music from which several NewJeans members originated. While N-Team’s debut was ultimately scrapped, Min Hee Jin later brought some of its members to her new label ADOR to form NewJeans.
“Right before debut, due to a sudden company decision, I had to give up my dream of becoming an idol. One day, I was suddenly told to terminate my contract and was the only one given the notice to ‘leave,’ so I had to immediately get on a plane back home.”
After media reports framed her as having been “cut” from NewJeans, Harin’s social media accounts saw a spike in attention — along with malicious comments. On August 14, 2025, she released a statement clarifying her intentions:
“What I shared in the interview was simply my deeply personal feelings of frustration and disappointment from the past… Even now, I continue to support the members I laughed and cried with back then! I’ll work harder to improve on my shortcomings and show you a better side of me.”
Harin ended her message with a seasonal metaphor, promising to remain true to herself and asking fans for continued support. The controversy deepened when netizens noticed Harin had liked several Instagram comments — including one suggesting she was “lucky” not to be caught in the ongoing ADOR vs. NewJeans legal battle.
Although she quickly removed the likes, some interpreted the move as “shady,” fueling further criticism. While maintaining her admiration for her former teammates, Harin has now found herself at the center of another flashpoint in the tense discourse surrounding NewJeans’s origins and the broader ADOR-HYBE dispute.
Sources: Nate
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