Following an intense period of litigation and legal battles, NewJeans have been mandated by the South Korean courts to remain with their label, ADOR.
The beloved K-pop girl group, composed of Hanni, Minji, Haerin, Hyein, and Danielle, is mandated to honor their exclusive contracts with ADOR until the year 2029, especially after the Seoul Central District Court rejected their appeal to terminate their contract and agreement with the label in an effort to pursue independent activities. Additionally, while none of the group’s five members were present in court, all of them have been ordered to bear the litigation costs of the legal dispute — with the total amount not disclosed as of yet to the public.
According to the court’s ruling, “It is difficult to conclude that merely the fact that Min Hee-jin was dismissed from her position as CEO of ADOR caused a gap in management duties for the NewJeans members or that ADOR lacks the plans or capabilities to perform those duties.” A significant portion of the group’s appeal was focused on the fact that former ADOR head Min Hee-jin’s removal from the company has led them to feel unprotected — with the label incapable of promoting (and supporting) the group the same way that Min had.
Additional details from the court’s ruling further stated, “The exclusive contract does not stipulate anywhere that ADOR must entrust the management duties for NewJeans to Min Hee-jin,” and “It cannot be considered a significant contractual obligation to guarantee Min Hee-jin’s position as ADOR’s CEO merely because NewJeans personally places high trust in her.”
“Considering that ADOR released albums, prepared fan meetings, established plans for a world tour, and provided opportunities for events and commercial shoots even when NewJeans was not cooperating, it is difficult to conclude that ADOR cannot be expected to fulfill management services for NewJeans,” they mentioned.
In response, legal representatives from the NewJeans team shared, “While the members respect the court’s decision, it is impossible to return to ADOR and continue normal entertainment activities under the current situation where the trust relationship with ADOR has already been completely broken.”
This marks the latest chapter in the ongoing saga between NewJeans, Min Hee-jin, and ADOR since late last year, where the group announced that they were terminating their contracts with ADOR, following a lengthy legal battle between their former creative director and the label. In March, ADOR filed an injunction against the group and its members, blocking them from carrying out activities under a different moniker (following their soft launch as NJZ at ComplexCon Hong Kong).
In June of this year, the court’s ruling urged NewJeans to honor their contracts with ADOR, and stated that they will not be able to legally engage in group or individual activities without their agency’s approval and involvement. It was also mentioned that the group’s allegations of mistreatment under ADOR have had no standing whatsoever, due to a lack of evidence.