SEOUL – South Korean girl group NewJeans kicked off promotion for their upcoming album by releasing the music video for Bubble Gum on April 27.

The launch came amid a spiralling dispute involving Ms Min Hee-jin, chief executive of Ador – which manages the popular girl group – and Hybe Entertainment, the K-pop powerhouse that holds an 80 per cent stake in the label.

Bubble Gum is an easy-listening song with a simple drum pattern and synthesizer sounds. It is the B-side to How Sweet, which will be released on May 24.

In the music video, the five bandmates – Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein – play with bubble gum, soap bubbles, balloons and glass beads against backdrops such as a beach, lush meadows and a camper van on an early summer night.

The video employs cinematography reminiscent of old camcorder footage.

It surpassed five million views within 13 hours of its release, and had reached over 13 million views as at April 29 morning.

Hybe and its sub-label Ador are engulfed in an ongoing dispute, with Hybe filing a complaint against Ms Min on April 25 and accusing her of breach of trust. She denied the allegations in a press conference held on the same day. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK