
NewJeans Replaced by IU as Korean Tourism Ambassador, Losing Another Major Brand Role
NewJeans appears to have lost another major brand ambassadorship amid their ongoing legal disputes and indefinite group hiatus. Earlier this year, in July 2024, the group was officially named the Honorary Ambassadors of Korean Tourism in partnership with the South Korean government’s Culture Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization. Their role was to encourage young people to visit South Korea and highlight the country’s diverse attractions. Despite their internal battles, NewJeans expressed commitment to the role, saying they would take it on “with a joyful heart.”
Recently, however, fans and netizens have noticed that NewJeans’ airport ambassadorship posters are being quietly covered up and replaced—this time by a new set of ads featuring IU. While IU’s official appointment as a tourism ambassador has yet to be formally announced, it’s expected to happen soon.
This sudden switch has sparked a lot of debate online. Some fans are disappointed by the replacement, seeing it as a sign of NewJeans’ deteriorating brand presence due to their inactivity. Others feel IU is a better fit for the role given her established reputation in the industry.
"This really hurts to see"
"This they’re losing all their brand deals, I feel bad for ADOR"
"IU is better"
"IU is the best star our country has. NewJeans is not on the same level as her"
"NewJeans is over"
"Why would they choose to keep NewJeans, when it means they’d have to worry that the contract would not be kept? The group doesn’t even know the basics of contracts"
"They’re being replaced with IU ㅋㅋ? ;;;;"
"They had to replace NewJeans because the group isn’t even active anymore"
"It’s just greedy to remove NewJeans’ advertisement like this"
"I really hope NewJeans wins their case…"
"They only changed it from the previous ambassadors BLACKPINK after a really long time, but this time they changed it so quickly…"
"IU is really… not right for this…"
"It really seems like ADOR is the biggest victim in all this"
"It’s not NewJeans’ fault, HYBE is the one preventing them from doing independent activities and renewing contracts like this"
"Wouldn’t BTS be a better choice for this than IU? Or are they too expensive lol? They’re all out of the military now so it would be nice to see them in this position"
"One mistake NewJeans made was having the arrogance to think that no one could replace them. But the truth of life is that there will always be someone who can replace you"
Fans are split between feeling sympathy for NewJeans and their agency, ADOR, which many believe is suffering the most here. The ongoing legal clash that has led to the group’s inactivity now seems to also cost them key promotional deals and public visibility.
The quick takeover from IU’s side stands in sharp contrast to the last ambassador shift, when BLACKPINK held their position for a long stretch before being replaced. This change feels sudden and signals just how quickly NewJeans’ public image is shifting. Whether this marks a permanent change or just temporary damage to their brand, the situation remains tense as their legal battles continue behind the scenes.