On April 3, 2025, Daily Sports reported that the Seoul Central District Court’s 41st Civil Agreement Division characterized the legal dispute between NewJeans and ADOR as a “unique”case. This marked the court’s inaugural hearing regarding ADOR’s legal quest to validate the girl group’s unilateral termination of their contract.
NewJeans decided to terminate their contract with ADOR on November 28, 2024, expressing concern over Min Hee-jin’s dismissal as CEO of the label. In response, ADOR contended that contract termination requires mutual agreement and argued that the group’s actions were unjustified. The girl group conveyed in court that their trust had been eroded by the label’s refusal to reinstate Min Hee-jin, which they deemed unacceptable.
The court responded by highlighting that the notion of “trust”is somewhat abstract, indicating that they would need additional time to evaluate the intricacies of the case.
“The concept of ‘broken trust’ is abstract. We’ve handled many cases where idols who never even got paid or gained recognition sought to terminate their contracts. Compared to those, this case is quite unique.”
ADOR Challenges NJZ’s Claims amid Ongoing Legal Battle
During the initial court proceedings on April 3, 2025, ADOR asserted that the basis for NewJeans’ contract termination claims lacked validity. The label accused the group of falsely alleging that Min Hee-jin had been “ousted”from both ADOR and HYBE under unfair circumstances.
ADOR commented on the situation:
“They keep saying that they ousted Min Hee-jin, but Min Hee-jin left of her own accord. (ADOR) offered her a reappointment as a director and a producing role, but if they don’t make her the CEO, she can’t do it. She made all sorts of excuses to stall for time before leaving, and right after that, the defendants unilaterally declared the termination of her contract.”
For context, Min Hee-jin was dismissed as CEO of ADOR by the label’s independent board of directors on August 27, 2024, with Kim Joo-young from HYBE appointed as the new CEO on the same day. Following this significant change, NewJeans conducted a surprise YouTube livestream on September 11 to express their dissatisfaction with the decision, citing instances of workplace harassment and mistreatment. This prompted Hanni from NewJeans to appear at a National Assembly Audit session on October 15 to testify regarding the alleged harassment.
In a January 2025 development, it was reported by Yonhap News that the Ministry of Employment and Labor had dismissed Hanni’s claims after a thorough investigation, exonerating both ADOR and HYBE of wrongdoing.
Afterward, on November 13, 2024, NewJeans issued an ultimatum to ADOR, demanding the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin by November 28; otherwise, they would terminate their contract. ADOR’s refusal led NewJeans to officially sever ties on the stipulated date. Subsequently, on December 3, ADOR pursued legal action to determine the legitimacy of the unilateral contract termination. In January 2025, an injunction was filed by ADOR to prevent the group from partaking in activities without the label’s consent.
Adding to the tension, NewJeans rebranded themselves as NJZ, announcing the change on February 7, 2025. A court hearing on the injunction took place on March 7, where the judge mandated that NJZ must provide further justification for their termination. On March 21, the court ruled in favor of ADOR, imposing restrictions that prevented NJZ from pursuing independent activities until the final ruling of the lawsuit.
During the April 3 hearing, NewJeans argued that they could not “exist without Min Hee-jin,”a claim that ADOR contested as contradictory. The label pointed to the group’s successful independent concert in Hong Kong as evidence that they could operate without Min Hee-jin’s involvement.
ADOR stated:
“Considering that (New Jeans) successfully completed the Hong Kong concert independently without Min Hee-jin’s help, it means that it was possible without Min Hee-jin. This is an action that contradicts the defendants’ own words and actions (statements such as ‘they cannot carry out normal activities without former representative Min’).”
The next court session is scheduled for June 7, 2025. In the meantime, NewJeans has filed an objection against the injunction ruling, with a hearing set for April 9 at 2 PM.