A South Korean man has been fined for breaking into NewJeans‘ former dorm – find out more below.
READ MORE: NewJeans vs HYBE: a comprehensive timeline of events
According to the Korean JoongAng Daily, a 28-year-old man known only as Kim, had broken into the K-pop group’s former living quarters in the Yongsan district in central Seoul on two separate occasions in December last year.
During the break-ins, Kim reportedly stole a number of small items including a clothing hangar, and a banner. He also reportedly took pictures of the group’s former dorm and shared them online.
Notably, NewJeans had already vacated the premises at the time, as they had informed their agency ADOR that they were terminating their contracts with immediate effect. Due to this, Kim was only fined 10million Korean Won (US$7,200) for trespassing and theft by the Seoul Western District Court.
It is reported that prosecutors were initially seeking a 10-month prison sentence.
NewJeans – who recently celebrated the third anniversary since their debut – are currently on indefinite hiatus. Late last year, the group announced that they were terminating their contracts with ADOR with immediate effect, following a lengthy legal battle between HYBE and NewJeans’ creative director Min Hee-jin for control of the group.
In March, ADOR filed an injunction against the group requesting to block them from carrying out independent activities under a different moniker. The injunction came after the group independently rebranded themselves as NJZ and were announced to perform at ComplexCon in Hong Kong.
The group would proceed with their ComplexCon performance, where they debuted a new song and announced an indefinite hiatus after a court ruled against the band’s rebranding. “We have decided to stop all activities for the time being in accordance with the court ruling. It wasn’t an easy decision but a necessary one,” they told the crowd, per The Korea Times.
In June, the court ruled that NewJeans are urged to honour their contracts with ADOR, and will not be legally permitted to engage in individual or group activities without the agency’s approval. Additionally, the court has maintained that NewJeans’ allegations of mistreatment at the hands of ADOR have no standing due to a lack of evidence.
ADOR said in a statement to the press: “We sincerely appreciate the court’s decision. We hope that this ruling will serve as an opportunity for the members to return to their rightful place as NewJeans and resume their activities. As they approach their third debut anniversary next month, ADOR is committed to providing full support for the artists’ further growth and success.”
NewJeans have yet to publicly comment on the latest ruling or announce plans for a return.
The ruling came after the group announced earlier this year that they “have no intention of ever returning” to ADOR amid their legal battle with the agency and were cooking up a new identity.