On April 9th KST, ADOR released an official statement declaring intensified legal action to protect NewJeans from a surge in malicious online content amid ongoing legal disputes with the group.
In the statement titled “Update on Legal Action Regarding Artist Rights Infringement (4.9),” ADOR emphasized that it has been continuously monitoring and responding to defamatory content since NewJeans’ debut, but has recently reinforced its system and staff in response to a sharp increase in the volume and severity of attacks.
“We are conducting real-time monitoring and evidence collection across numerous platforms such as DC Inside, Ilgan Best, Nate Pann, FM Korea, Naver, Blind, Gaedrip, TheQoo, Ppomppu, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube,” the company wrote. “This includes posts spreading false information, mocking the members’ appearances or nationalities, privacy violations, and the use of slurs and explicit insults.”
ADOR confirmed that particularly egregious and repetitive posts—those deemed criminal in nature—are being met with formal criminal complaints, some of which have already been submitted to Yongsan Police Station, with more to follow.
The company also addressed the rising issue of deepfake crimes, stating that it is working closely with law enforcement on the production and distribution of fabricated videos involving the members. One suspect related to such content has already been detained and referred to prosecution, according to the statement.
ADOR warned that it will not engage in settlements or leniency under any circumstance and vowed to pursue all available legal avenues to ensure proper punishment of perpetrators.
Fans were encouraged to report rights violations through the HYBE artist protection website, as ADOR acknowledged that fan submissions have been instrumental in supporting ongoing legal efforts.
This announcement follows a similar move by the Bunnies (NewJeans’ fandom), who have also initiated legal responses against defamatory posts.
Meanwhile, NewJeans remains embroiled in a contractual conflict with ADOR. Last year, it was announced that the group’s contract had been terminated due to ADOR’s alleged breach of obligations. However, a court granted ADOR an injunction to maintain its status as NewJeans’ management agency, also prohibiting the group from signing independent advertising deals.
Today at 2 p.m. KST, the court is scheduled to hold a hearing for NewJeans’ objection to the injunction.
The group has recently deleted content from its NJZ Instagram account, which has been renamed “mhdhh”, presumably using the initials of members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein—further indicating a halt in group activities.
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