On April 3, 2025, Daily Sports (Ilgan Sports) reported that the K-pop group NewJeans (NJZ) declined a settlement proposal from their label, ADOR, during the initial court hearing regarding a contract validation lawsuit presented at the Seoul Central District Court’s 41st Civil Agreement Division.
During the court session, the legal team representing ADOR sought to resolve the conflict amicably through a settlement offer. However, representatives for NewJeans firmly rejected this proposal, indicating that an agreement was “not an option at the moment.”
“It is not that situation at the moment. Considering the mental state of the members, it is so at the moment.”(Translated from Papago).
Meanwhile, NJZ’s legal counsel reiterated the group’s claims of discrimination and harassment against the agency, asserting a need for justice.
In defense, ADOR’s attorneys contested these allegations, arguing that they had met all contractual obligations and that the actions taken by NewJeans constituted a breach of contract.
Legal Discrepancies: ADOR Challenges NewJeans’ Claims in Court
ADOR initiated the lawsuit on December 3, 2024, following NewJeans’ announcement of their contract termination on November 28. This case seeks judicial clarification on whether unilateral contract termination by an artist against their label is legally permissible.
Subsequently, the members of NewJeans commenced independent activities without awaiting the court’s decision, prompting ADOR to file for an injunction in January 2025. This legal move was aimed at preventing the group from engaging with advertisers without the agency’s consent.
Despite these developments, NewJeans unveiled their new group name “NJZ”on February 7, 2025. The first court hearing regarding the injunction took place on March 7, 2025.
On March 21, the court ruled in favor of ADOR, issuing the injunction. However, NewJeans contested this ruling, leading to an objection and a scheduled hearing on April 9. During the hearing on April 3, both parties presented additional arguments.
NJZ raised allegations of a breach of trust after the dismissal of Min Hee-jin from her position as CEO of ADOR, asserting that the group could not function without her leadership. In contrast, ADOR indicated that NewJeans successfully performed independently at ComplexCon Hong Kong on March 23, 2025, suggesting that they could continue their activities without Min Hee-jin’s involvement.
“Considering that (NewJeans) 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’).”
ADOR also disputed NJZ’s claims concerning Min Hee-jin’s dismissal, asserting that she was removed in August 2024 due to a privacy violation and ongoing legal disputes with HYBE, which involved her vision of making NewJeans independent from the label.
The agency further highlighted that Min Hee-jin was reinstated as an internal director on October 17, 2024; however, both NewJeans and Min Hee-jin insisted on her return to the CEO position, threatening non-cooperation otherwise.
NewJeans contended that they provided ADOR a 14-day notice to restore Min Hee-jin as CEO by November 28, 2024. ADOR’s refusal to comply was cited as a betrayal of trust, leading to the group’s contract termination.
After reviewing arguments from both entities, the court noted the case’s uniqueness, highlighting the abstract nature of the term “trust.”The court stated:
“Breakdown of trust is an abstract concept. In fact, we have handled many cases where idols who signed management contracts did not receive a single settlement and did not become popular and asked for the settlement to be concluded. Compared to those cases, (this case) is a very unique case.”
The next hearing in this legal matter is set for June 4, 2025, at the Seoul Central District Court’s 41st Civil Agreement Division.