K-pop group NewJeans members, from left, Hanni, Minji, Hyein, Haerin and Danielle speak to the press after the first injunction hearing at Seoul Central District Court, March 7. The court later ruled in favor of Ador’s request for an injunction, blocking the band from engaging in independent activities. Yonhap
The parents of all five members of K-pop group NewJeans have denied reports of internal conflict amid the group’s ongoing legal battle with its agency, Ador, while also wiping away signs of the group’s rebranding attempts under its short-lived new name, NJZ.
The parents of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein released a joint statement Friday through an Instagram account, refuting local media reports that claimed a disagreement had emerged among them regarding the group’s lawsuit to cut its ties with Ador.
“The claims made by some outlets that there is conflict among the members’ parents are completely untrue,” they wrote. “All five members firmly believe they cannot return to HYBE and this decision was made after thorough discussions within each family.”
The rebuttal followed a local media report alleging that the parents of one underage member had disagreed over how to exercise parental authority in connection with the lawsuit. The report claimed the dispute was significant enough to prompt a ruling from the family court.
Haerin, born in 2006, and Hyein, born in 2008, are the two minors in the group and both have legal guardians listed as representatives in the case.
Speculation mounted after the court — during a hearing Thursday — referred to “Defendant No. 4,” noting that a family court had issued a ruling on the exercise of parental rights.
Soon after, online posts claimed that Haerin — widely believed to be “Defendant No. 4” — was represented only by her father, unlike other members who were represented by both parents. This fueled rumors that her mother may have opposed the lawsuit.
The parents dismissed those claims as “completely false.”
Haerin of K-pop group NewJeans / Yonhap
“Haerin and her parents are fully aligned,” they said. “Speculation about other members’ families is also unfounded.”
They clarified that the legal process to adjust parental rights was initiated by another member’s family, and done in respect of the child’s wishes.
“Both the child and mother in that family share the same position. We ask the public to refrain from making assumptions about private family matters,” the parents said.
They also criticized the media’s coverage of the situation, calling it invasive and damaging.
“We hope that private family issues will no longer be maliciously used in the press,” they said, suggesting they believe HYBE Labels and Ador were behind the leak.
The public statement coincides with the group’s recent decision to remove traces of their independent activity under the name NJZ. On March 21, the Seoul Central District Court sided with Ador and granted a preliminary injunction blocking NewJeans from signing new commercial deals or doing promotional activity under a different name.
Following the ruling, the group’s Instagram account, previously labeled “njz_official,” was renamed “mhdhh_friends,” a reference to the initials of the members’ names, and all posts were deleted.
The parents’ account, which has served as the group’s unofficial communications channel, was also renamed from “njz_pr” to “mhdhh_pr.”
The group is currently on an indefinite hiatus following the release of their new song, “Pit Stop,” at ComplexCon in Hong Kong on March 25. Addressing fans at the event, the members said they would take some time to regroup.
As the legal battle continues, the court will hold a hearing April 9 on NewJeans’ members’ objections to an injunction that restricts their independent activities, filed by Ador. A second hearing regarding the legal validity of NewJeans’ termination of its contracts with Ador will take place on June 5.