On March 7 KST, representatives of the entertainment label ADOR and representatives of the girl group NewJeans (NJZ), including members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, appeared at a court hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court. The hearing involves the injunction request filed by ADOR in January of this year, requesting the verification of its status as the management label of NewJeans (NJZ) and also requesting a ban preventing the members of NewJeans (NJZ) from signing independent advertisement contracts.
On this day, the legal representatives of both sides presented their cases in front of the 50th civil division of the Seoul Central District Court.
First, ADOR’s side stated, “The success of NewJeans cannot be explained solely by the talents and the efforts of the group’s members. Behind their success is the effort of approximately 50 employees at ADOR, including stylists, music and video producers, choreographers, managers, etc, who devoted themselves to nurturing these artists since they were trainees. Also key to the group’s success was the full-fledged support of the plaintiff (ADOR). In total, ADOR received an investment of 21 billion KRW (~ $15 million USD) from HYBE Labels during the launch of NewJeans. It was an unprecedented amount. Thanks to this investment, ADOR committed 10 billion KRW alone to the group’s debut promotions and marketing, which included the development and launch of a fan platform exclusively for NewJeans and their fans.”
The label’s side continued, “NewJeans also took advantage of various intangible assets available to them through their association with HYBE Labels. Prior to their debut, NewJeans appeared in BTS’s music video. Their songs received continued promotions through challenges filmed with HYBE Labels artists. Since their debut, NewJeans was frequently referred to as the ‘younger sibling group of BTS’, per Min Hee Jin’s request.”
The plaintiff’s side then added on, “The requests forwarded by the members of NewJeans cannot justify the unilateral termination of their exclusive contracts. In short, the defendants (NewJeans) are merely arguing, ‘HYBE does not like us,’ citing this as a valid reason for the termination of their contracts. They have not mentioned any of the common issues typically considered valid reasons for contractual terminations by artists, such as unfair treatment, unfulfilled payments, or restrictions on promotions. Simply claiming that they have lost trust in the company cannot be a legally acceptable reason for the termination of an exclusive contract.”
Next, representatives of NJZ pleaded their case. “From 2023 through 2024, the defendants were involved in a number of controversial issues caused by HYBE Labels, including biased media play, ‘laying out a new game board after discarding New[Jeans]’, ILLIT’s plagiarism controversy, conflict with the video production team Dolphiners Films, and more,” the defendant’s side began, “No other artists under HYBE Labels experienced any kind of treatment resembling the above.”
NJZ’s side further claimed, “The defendants experienced discrimination even before their debut. Producer Min Hee Jin was brought on after being promised that NJZ would debut bearing the title of ‘HYBE’s first girl group’. However, the group’s debut was then pushed back, and LE SSERAFIM debuted first.”
The girl group’s side also revealed, “Another example of discrimination involved member Haein, who was selected as an ambassador for a luxury brand shortly after debut. However, not long afterward, the brand chose to sign an ambassador contract with LE SSERAFIM. Upon requesting a clarification, the brand apologized, explaining that HYBE had contacted the brand first.”
Representatives of NJZ further brought up the plagiarism issue between the group and ILLIT. “HYBE attempted to replace the defendants with ILLIT. During this process, HYBE copied the NJZ’s debut plan proposal. An employee of HYBE even admitted to this. Every aspect of ILLIT’s creative branding, from the team’s structure, to their styling, and even their choreography resembles NJZ. The fans were the first to point this out. Then, when Min Hee Jin requested an explanation, she was instead hit with a high-degree audit and a lawsuit.” the defendant’s side stated.
Meanwhile, the five members of NJZ previously declared their intentions to terminate their exclusive contracts with ADOR on November 28, 2024.
SEE ALSO: ILLIT’s new light stick receives praise for its unique design