'Daesang Winner' Yoo Jaesuk's Lego bouquet sparks outrage among florists ... "It hurts the industry"

The Korea Florist Association released a statement regarding the use of toy flowers instead of real bouquets for celebrations at a broadcasting award ceremony, saying, "The use of toy bouquets has caused further pain to florists and flower farmers who are already struggling due to the economic downturn and decreased demands. There is also concern that this might make fresh flower bouquets seem inefficient or full of disadvantages."

The association pointed out, "The domestic flower industry involves about 20,000 small florist businesses and numerous flower farms. This means that the consumption of fresh flowers is directly linked to their livelihoods. Even the government supports policies to promote flower consumption and the promotion of using flowers in daily life through the 'Act on the Development of the Flower Industry and Promotion of Flower Culture.' Using toy flowers on a widely influential broadcast program can cause harm to these policy efforts."

At the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards held on December 29th last year, the winners' bouquets and the overall ceremony used toy flowers. This is the first time MBC has presented toy bouquets instead of fresh flowers at their award show.

Netizens are showing various reactions such as, "People might throw away real flowers, but they'll definitely keep a toy bouquet," "I didn't realize this would harm the flower industry," "I just see it as a unique attempt, " and "Isn't it a matter of freedom of choice? Whether they want to use fresh flowers or artificial ones?"

A florist who prepared bouquets for another broadcasting station's award show shared on social media, "It’s bittersweet to see so many people asking about toy bouquets instead of real flowers during the important graduation season. It’s upsetting because we’re already struggling with the recent rise in flower and labor costs. People are free to use artificial flowers or Lego, but broadcast media has a big influence on consumers, so they should have been more careful."

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1. [+2,815][-48] It's up to people whether to use which bouquets... What kind of nonsense is this? Why are these florists trying to restrict consumer's choices??

2. [+2,207][-32] They're just mad because they can't sell expensive bouquets during the year-end peak... Just look at the bouquet prices during graduation season. Besides, they're just luxury goods, not a necessity.

3. [+1,905][-28] I actually think it's better than real flowers, which could be hard to dispose of once they wilt, right? Besides, Yoo Jaesuk has kids at an age where they'd love Lego.

4. [+120][-1] That was clearly a Lego endorsement. If you guys are that upset, you should endorse them too.

5. [+102][-1] "Hurting the industry"ㅋㅋ You must be kidding me.

Continue reading 'Daesang Winner' Yoo Jaesuk's Lego bouquet sparks outrage among florists ... "It hurts the industry"

Hyeri breaks down in tears while confessing burnout ... "It's so hard, I feel like I'm going to collapses. I have no energy left."

On the 9th, a video was posted on Hyeri's Youtube channel. To mark the New Year, Hyeri underwent personality and temperament tests with psychiatrist Dr. Lee Kwangmin. Dr. Lee summarized Hyeri's personality as, "In the whole universe, only I exist," explaining, "It doesn't mean that you're being arrogant. It means that you believe that the only person you can truly rely on this world is yourself. You live your life by your own beliefs and hard work. It's actually a bit heartbreaking." Hearing this, Hyeri became emotional and began to cry, saying, "I used to wonder why people cried during these tests, but now I get it."

Furthermore, Dr. Lee also expressed concern, saying, "What worries me most is that your energy is completely depleted. You're constantly in 'tension mode.' Your battery is only at about 50%"

In response, Hyeri confessed, "I really feel it. I've become so lazy. I'm usually the type of person who is very neat and organized, but lately, I just can't bring myself to clean. I'm busy, but even when I have time, I don't have the energy. I just don't have the capacity." Dr. Lee responded, "It seems like you're not taking any separate time to rest just for yourself. There are only two things that keep you going, one is achievement and the other is support, specifically from people." Hearing this, Hyeri burst into tears once again.

Hyeri continued, "When results weren't good, I used to take breaks for months. But for the past one to two years, I haven't been able to rest at all. What’s amazing is that I managed to endure because fans love me. It’s fascinating how their support becomes my driving force." She added, "Even during fan meetings, I'm physically exhausted, but mentally, I'm okay, so I keep going. Even when my body feels like it's going to collapse, seeing how much they love me gives me the strength to move forward."

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1. [+1,000][-46] Honestly, I don’t like it when celebrities who’ve already made more than enough money say things like this publicly.

2. [+907][-31] She’s in her early 30s and has already made a massive amount of money that most Koreans will never even touch in their lifetimes. What could be so hard? Honestly, there are so many people, including myself, who work much harder for way less money. If I earned as much as Hyeri, I’d be truly happy.

3. [+711][-38] Didn't I just see a photo of her in a bikini recently? Wasn't she just on vacation?

4. [+116][-3] I’ve been working for 35 years. When I see these young celebrities yapping and whining about having 'burnout,' it makes me scoff. Tsk.

5. [+116][-4] Great. Just more whining from someone who has it all.

Continue reading Hyeri breaks down in tears while confessing burnout ... "It's so hard, I feel like I'm going to collapses. I have no energy left."

How the penalty was calculated at 30 billion KRW out of the 43.1 billion KRW lawsuit against Danielle?

ADOR has filed a 43.1 billion KRW lawsuit against Danielle, notifying her of the termination of her exclusive contract, and stated that she can no longer work as a NewJeans' member. Right now, attention is focused on how the 'penalty,' a fine for breach of contract, was calculated at 30 billion KRW.

According to the entertainment industry on the 8th, ADOR filed a lawsuit totaling 43.1 billion KRW against Danielle, her mother, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin last month. The penalty amounts to 30 billion KRW, alongside a claim for 3.1 billion KRW in damages for non-fulfillment of the contract. ADOR is also claiming 10 billion KRW in damages against Danielle's mother and former CEO Min Heejin, holding them responsible for NewJeans' departure and the delay in their return.

The total amount of 43.1 billion KRW is the sum of 13.1 billion KRW in compensation for actual damages caused by the breach of contract and 30 billion KRW in penalty clause for the breach of contract.

Article 15, Clause 2 (Termination or Cancelation of Contract) of ADOR-NewJeans exclusive contract, which was previously disclosed in a court ruling, states, "Under the circumstances described above, even though the plaintiff (ADOR) is faithfully performing its important duties according to the contract, if the defendants (NewJeans' members) unilaterally terminate this exclusive contract during the contract period or violate important contract terms with the intent to unilaterally terminate it, the defendants shall pay the plaintiff the amount specified in Clause 1 of this Article as a penalty, separate from the damages in Paragraph 1 of this Article."

The criteria for calculating the penalty clause are also included in the exclusive contract. It is defined as: "Regardless the period of entertainment activities, the amount shall be calculated by taking the monthly average revenue during the period in which actual sales occurred within the two years before the contract ends, and multiplying it by the number of remaining months in the contract term."

Previously, all five members of NewJeans (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein) notified ADOR of their contract termination on November 29 last year. Based on that date, ADOR's annual revenue for the prior 2 years was approximately 110.3 billion KRW in 2023 and 111.2 billion KRW in 2024.

Since NewJeans is the only artist under ADOR, ADOR's revenue can be viewed as NewJeans' revenue. Divided by the five members, the annual revenue per member is roughly 22 billion KRW. Divided by 12 months, Danielle's monthly revenue is estimated to be around 1.8 billion KRW.

NewJeans, who debuted in July 2022, had an exclusive contract with ADOR until July 2029. Multiplying Danielle's average monthly revenue of 1.8 billion KRW by the remaining 56 months of the contract results in approximately 100.8 billion KRW. ADOR set the penalty at 30 billion KRW, which is less than 1/3 of that amount.

A penalty clause is different from liquidated damages. While liquidated damages strongly focus on compensating the other party's losses, a penalty clause is similar to a 'fine,' where it is agreed in advance that the debtor will pay a certain amount of money or provide other benefits to the creditor if they fail to fulfil their obligations.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a penalty clause is not automatically invalid simply because the amount is large. The penalty cannot be reduced even if the actual damages are smaller.

However, if the amount is significantly far too high compared to the actual damage, the court may decide that all or part of it is invalid under Article 103 of the Civil Act (Violation of Public Order and Morals). Therefore, it appears that ADOR set the penalty at 30 billion KRW to avoid the risk of the clause being ruled invalid, which would lower the penalty amount.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit filed by ADOR against Danielle has been assigned to Civil Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Nam Insoo), which is also currently handling the lawsuit over the termination of the shareholder agreement between HYBE and former CEO Min Heejin, as well as the claim for the stock purchase price after the put option was exercised.

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1. [+101][-15] Seriously, Mincheonji has completely ruined the girls... She used these girls, who should be singing and performing at their peak, as hostages. And in the end, their image has hit rock bottom.

2. [+68][-8] Whoa... They earn that much?? That's incredible...

Continue reading How the penalty was calculated at 30 billion KRW out of the 43.1 billion KRW lawsuit against Danielle?