Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
ADOR and NewJeans‘ legal battle continues on.
On December 5, the HYBE sub-label announced that they filed a lawsuit to “confirm the validity of our exclusive contract with NewJeans.”
“Hello, this is ADOR. On December 3, we filed a lawsuit to receive legal confirmation that our exclusive contract with NewJeans is still valid,” their statement reads. “Although we did not want this issue to be resolved through a legal judgment, we decided because we felt it was necessary to confirm to the artists that the contract cannot be terminated based on one party’s claim.”
The statement also says they want to “receive judgment from the court” in order to “protect the foundation of the K-Pop industry” which is which “built on trust between artists and companies.”
“K-Pop today has been created from the artist’s talent and efforts and the company’s investment and know-how,” ADOR stated. “In uncertain circumstances, it is essential that the company’s support is provided in advance for a long time, especially in the K-Pop industry.”
ADOR also stated that their position regarding working with NewJeans remains unchanged, and they “believe sincere discussions with the members are necessary” despite the fact that they say they “haven’t had the chance to speak with the artists.”
“We will continue to resolve misunderstandings between the artists and the company. We will do our best to repay the fans by providing better activities. We ask for your support so that we can overcome this issue.”
K-pop group NewJeans, (L-R)HYEIN, HAERIN, HANNI, MINJI and DANIELLE attend the opening ceremony for MUSINSA’s pop-up store in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Japan K-Pop, Tokyo – 06 Apr 2023 Shutterstock
Previously, NewJeans announced they would terminate their exclusive contracts with ADOR via a late-night press conference on November 28, after the group sent a legal notice to HYBE outlining a list of demands, including the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin as CEO of ADOR.
“Once we leave ADOR, we’ll aim to proceed freely with the activities that we really desire,” said Danielle, one of the members. “We really wish to be able to release new music for Bunnies, next year, as soon as possible, whenever. We really hope that we have the opportunity to meet you guys from all around the world.”
Hanni, another member, alleged workplace harassment during their time with the agency.
“This is not the type of work ethic we respect and not one we want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm,” she said.
She also accused the company of “mistreatment, not just towards us but also including our staff,” and spoke of “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation in multiple areas.”
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