NewJeans‘ attempt to overturn an injunction preventing them from pursuing activities independent of their management agency, ADOR, was rejected Wednesday (April 16) by the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Settlement Division 50. This led to an immediate appeal by the K-pop group, according to Yonhap and other reports.
The fivesome, which began independent activities under the name ‘NJZ’ after terminating their exclusive contract with HYBE-owned ADOR last November citing contract breaches, now face disruptions to their future plans.
The court’s decision follows an earlier ruling on March 21, which fully accepted ADOR’s injunction request to preserve agency status and prohibit advertising contract agreements. The court stated that NewJeans/NJZ had not sufficiently proven that ADOR significantly violated exclusive contractual obligations, thus preventing the group from undertaking entertainment activities without ADOR’s consent.
The group filed an immediate appeal at the High Court, indicating that the dispute with ADOR will continue. Law firm Sejong, representing members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein, confirmed the appeal and committed to clarifying the facts through upcoming legal procedures.
In addition to the injunction, NewJeans/NJZ is engaged in litigation to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract with ADOR. This dispute is expected to be a major turning point in the K-pop industry, influencing the trust between artists and their agencies and potentially shaping the management of future artists’ activities.
The group’s members announced the end of their contract with ADOR at a press conference last November, stating, “We have had enough conversations and sent certification of content, but there were no responses during that time. As ADOR and HYBE have breached the contract, we are terminating it.”
Since then, NewJeans/NJZ has continued their individual activities and reiterated their stance in interviews with foreign media, including a February CNN interview in which the group emphasized, “We have completely lost trust in ADOR. We believe we will win this battle against HYBE and ADOR.”