Things are getting more intense between K-pop sensation NewJeans and their agency, ADOR — and the court is officially involved.
ICYMI, the five-member group (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein) has been locked in a legal battle with ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE, over their contracts. And now, the Seoul Central District Court is stepping in with a harsh new ruling. According to Billboard, on May 31, the court approved a request from ADOR for what’s called indirect compulsory enforcement — basically meaning that if NewJeans does any entertainment activity without ADOR’s sign-off, each member could be fined 1 billion KRW (about $734K). Per violation. Per person.
So yes, one unauthorized group performance could cost them up to 5 billion KRW (aka $3.6 million).
According to the court, this decision was made because “NewJeans violated the obligations set by the injunction by performing under a new group name and even releasing new songs before and after the injunction ruling.” They’re talking about the group’s surprise performance as “NJZ” at ComplexCon Hong Kong in March, where they debuted a new track called “Pit Stop.”
The court also reminded both parties that until the main lawsuit is settled, the members “are prohibited from engaging in any entertainment-related activities without ADOR’s prior approval.”
In the most recent hearing on June 5, the NewJeans members weren’t present — but tensions still ran high. When asked if a settlement might be possible, the group’s lawyer said, “Trust has been irrevocably broken — we’ve crossed a point of no return.”
ADOR isn’t backing down either, telling the court, “Whether it’s the main case or the injunction, we believe a court decision will make settlement easier afterward.”
The sides also clashed over ADOR’s request to use evidence from a separate lawsuit involving Source Music (home to Le Sserafim) and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. NewJeans’ team pushed back hard, claiming some of that evidence may have been “illegally obtained.”
The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 24 — and whatever happens next could seriously impact how idol contracts are handled in the entire K-pop industry.
Stay tuned — this case is just getting started.
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