On June 4 KST, the second court hearing between NewJeans and their agency ADOR regarding the validity of their exclusive contracts was held at the Seoul Central District Court. The members of NewJeans did not attend in person and were represented by their legal team.
Court suggests NewJeans and ADOR settle
The court suggested a possible settlement, inquiring whether both parties were willing to resolve the dispute. However, NewJeans rejected the idea, stating through their legal team, “The relationship of trust has been completely shattered. We have crossed a river and can no longer return.”
In contrast, ADOR responded, “If the court comes to a decision regarding this case, then a settlement will be easy enough.”
NewJeans’ reason for rejecting a settlement
NewJeans argued that ADOR failed to uphold its contractual management duties, especially after the removal of CEO Min Hee Jin, which allegedly caused a loss of independence for the group. ADOR countered by saying NewJeans keeps changing their reasoning for terminating the contract, implying their decision to leave was made first and justified later.
NewJeans also criticized the evidence provided by ADOR, saying it was insufficient and did not fully demonstrate that the agency’s responsibilities were fulfilled.
Previously, the court prohibited NewJeans from conducting any independent activities outside of ADOR, warning of a fine of 1 billion KRW (737,779 USD) per member for violations. The third hearing is scheduled for July 24.
Netizens’ reaction
Many netizens are perplexed by NewJeans’ unwillingness to settle, despite ADOR having expressed the company’s openness to a settlement.
Korean netizens commented:
“Where did Min Hee Jin’s confidence go from when she held that press conference…? What is she even doing now?”
“They’re thinking emotionally instead of rationally, that gets you in trouble.”
“If they don’t want to pay the penalty and ADOR hasn’t done anything legally wrong, they should just go back… they’re not kids throwing tantrums.”
“They could just settle, keep promoting, save money, and then start their own agency once the contract ends. No one would even know.”
“NewJeans fighting until the end! Settlement? LOL.”
“You can’t win, just settle while you can.”
“I want to hear NewJeans’ new song.”
“Don’t go easy on them. Show them how the law works. This isn’t a joke.”
“Seriously ridiculous. Even NewJeans’ lawyers must be feeling the pressure.”
“Just settle already…”
“They must really have no lingering attachment. Just leave them be.”
“Let’s not change our minds, lol.”
“The court seems to be trying to persuade them since they’re young with bright futures, but it’s unfortunate. If they lose, they’ll be in debt for life.”
“Enough with the emotional excuses… It’s so sad. Go back while you still can. What are you going to do about the penalty fee?”
“I’ve never seen a court try to persuade someone like this… They’ll probably regret their decision someday.”
“So much for a ‘revolution’ LOL. They’re not actually going to settle, right??”
“Who exactly at ADOR bullied them? I’ve never seen anyone cause this much drama over ’emotional damage.'”
“Where is Min Hee Jin??”
“Is trust the real issue? Are you going to stop performing altogether? You should take the long view, even if it hurts your pride now. Use the fans as an excuse if you have to. Just settle.”
“Maybe it’s because they’re still young and already made a lot of money. Now that the members are speaking directly and Min Hee Jin has stepped back, it feels like there’s less protection. That faith is kind of wild.”
“They made more in one go than most people in a lifetime… I’d probably feel the same, even if they don’t promote now, it’s no big loss. But the truth is, they rose with other people’s money and company help. If this was the plan, why take investor money in the first place? Now their image is ruined, and even if they return, it’s going to be hard to fix.”
“Sigh… guess it’s retirement for them.”
“This is NewJeans’ power at work. Worse than Fifty Fifty 3-member group, lol.”
“Tsk Tsk.”
“Just pay the penalty, then. Why all this drama?”
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