On March 7, 2025, NJZ (formerly known as NewJeans) members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein and ADOR appeared in court to address ongoing disputes regarding the validity of exclusive contracts and NJZ’s independent advertising activities. The hearing took place at the Seoul Central District Court following ADOR’s expanded injunction request to halt all of NJZ’s endeavors.
NJZ has alleged that HYBE’s treatment towards them was unfair in comparison to Source Music’s LE SSERAFIM, another K-pop group under a separate HYBE label. NJZ claimed that HYBE initially promised they would debut as “HYBE’s first girl group” and were originally selected as ambassadors for a specific brand.
However, LE SSERAFIM later assumed the same ambassador role, raising concerns about preferential treatment, as per Pannchoa’s report.
“After NewJeans’ debut evaluation in March 2021, HYBE neglected us until September 2021,” NJZ stated. They further alleged that during this period, Source Music recruited Sakura, Kim Chaewon, and Huh Yunjin, debuting LE SSERAFIM first without any explanation.
NJZ also claimed that their member Hyein was chosen as an ambassador for a specific brand, but LE SSERAFIM was later announced as an ambassadors as well. When NJZ contacted the brand for clarification, the company confirmed that HYBE had requested the change.
During the hearing, NJZ’s legal representatives argued that HYBE engaged in large-scale media manipulation, making the group feel abandoned. Furthermore, NJZ claimed that HYBE formed a new group that later became entangled in plagiarism controversies and faced backlash for allegedly copying NewJeans’ creative concepts.
The group ILLIT also encountered conflicts with Dolphiners Film, all of which unfolded between 2023 and 2024. NJZ asserted that no other HYBE artists faced similar challenges.
ADOR responded by defending the selection of LE SSERAFIM as Louis Vuitton’s brand ambassadors over NJZ. They stated, “CEO Min is unilaterally claiming that Source Music leveraged the network established during NewJeans members’ ambassador contract process for their own benefit and should have sought ADOR’s prior consent.”
However, ADOR maintained that Source Music’s contract with the brand developed naturally after its artists attended the brand’s fashion show and built a strong relationship.
ADOR further countered NJZ’s claims, stating, “Before NewJeans’ Hyein became a global ambassador for that particular brand, BTS member J-Hope was already selected as an ambassador. Even prior to that, BTS as a group served as the brand’s first global ambassador.” They argued that, by the same logic, ADOR should have sought BigHit Music’s consent before signing its own contract with the brand.
After hearing ADOR’s defense, NJZ stated that they verified the matter with the brand, which confirmed that HYBE had approached them first. “The brand assumed HYBE had obtained ADOR’s consent and later apologized upon realizing that was not the case,” NJZ added.
It appears that the conflict between NJZ and ADOR is reaching a pivotal stage, with new revelations emerging as legal proceedings continue.
ADOR also expressed concern about NJZ’s independent activities, stating, “It is regrettable that the members are attempting to engage in independent entertainment activities, such as soliciting new stage names, before receiving a legal ruling. This could constitute a serious breach of contract.”
In response, NJZ countered, “Even after terminating our contracts, we made every effort to fulfill our remaining obligations amicably. However, seeing ADOR and HYBE refuse to cooperate and instead cause harm, we have decided to speak out.”
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