Photo: ImaZins via Getty Images
We no longer have to ask the court, “What’s your ETA?” After almost a year of legal drama, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that NewJeans’ contracts with ADOR are still valid. This means that the K-pop girl group is legally bound to the agency until 2029, although legal representatives for NewJeans said that they plan to “immediately” appeal the decision. In a statement obtained by the Korea Heraldthe law firm that represents members Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle, and Minji asserted that it is “impossible” for the members to resume entertainment activities with ADOR because their relationship of trust with the company has been “completely destroyed.” Singer Kesha was among the fans who sent support to the group after the ruling, tweeting“My heart is with you NewJeans ❤️.”
All five members of NewJeans announced last November that they were leaving ADOR. While breaking a K-pop contract early is typically associated with exorbitant penalties for artists, the group suggested that the label breached the contract first, citing alleged mistreatment and mismanagement. But the Seoul Central District Court did not find any of the group’s arguments — including those related to the removal of former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin amid her very public conflict with parent company Hybe and to an incident where Hybe artists were allegedly instructed to “ignore” Hanni — to be sufficient grounds for termination. ADOR reacted to the judgment with optimism, stating that it hopes the ruling will “serve as an opportunity for the artists to calmly reflect on this matter.” The label added that it has already made preparations for the group to release its first full-length album and is now “waiting.”
NewJeans has indicated a desire to keep performing … just without ADOR. The group previously attempted to rebrand as NJZ and continue their careers without the agency. They got as far as debuting a new song at ComplexCon in Hong Kong in March but announced during the same performance that they would be going on hiatus due to a court order that sided with ADOR and barred them from taking on independent entertainment activities until a judgment was reached in the contract lawsuit. In July, NewJeans suggested that they would willingly return to ADOR if Min was reinstated. However, that option now seems to be off the table — local outlets report that Min has started a new K-pop agency, registered under the name Ooak on October 16.
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