NewJeans are continuing their indefinite hiatus following their dispute to terminate their contract with ADOR/HYBE.
Summary of NewJeans’ dispute against ADOR
The dispute began in November 2024, when all five members announced their plans to terminate their contracts with ADOR, citing the agency’s alleged breach of trust and mistreatment. Following their shocking announcement, NewJeans rebranded to NJZ and declared independent activities outside of ADOR. However, in March 2025, the court ruled in favor of ADOR, banning NewJeans from any solo or independent group activities. NewJeans made a formal appeal to the injunction, but the court dismissed their appeal, reaffirming ADOR’s position.
With the ongoing feud, NewJeans has taken an indefinite hiatus from the industry and has not engaged in any activities since ComplexCon back in March. With the prolonged legal battle and the group’s absence from the industry, fans are growing more concerned for NewJeans’ future.
Korean netizens’ debate over NewJeans’ future
With 2025 already passing the halfway mark, more fans and Korean netizens are wondering what will become of NewJeans. They gathered in various online communities, bringing their two cents on the matter and debating whether the girls can reclaim their meteoric popularity if they were to ever return.
These netizens debated:
“If they make a comeback, I think they’ll still be really popular.”
“Even when promoting actively, it’s hard to maintain popularity. If their inactivity continues, it’s inevitable. Other idols are working hard while they’re not.”
“Their debut song ‘Hype Boy’ is still on the charts. This post is just senseless doomsaying lol.”
“The fact is, they’re still the top-performing girl group under HYBE.”
“NewJeans is over? LOL I’ll still listen when they release music. Why talk about popularity when they’re inactive? I’d never listen to that pro-Japan goat group even if they promoted all year long.”
“Popularity is temporary, of course. But that usually applies as time passes. In their case, they actively turned the public against them.”
“NewJeans, please come back.”
“Popularity always fades eventually. Even the most famous idols from the ‘90s and 2000s are gone or not at their former level anymore.”
“LOL, they’re still going strong though.”
“They’ve been branded in the industry. It’ll be hard for them.”
“Out of sight, out of mind. I used to watch their YouTube Shorts religiously, but now I don’t even click.”
“They’re not rising because they aren’t active, you idiot lol. Their name value is still strong, though.”
“GD said it: Nothing lasts forever.”
“It’s been a while since their last comeback, hasn’t it? They haven’t done anything, so why act like they’ve fallen? There’s nothing to judge yet.”
“It was all an illusion created by the agency—from international fans to ads.”
“To be honest, other fandoms don’t care that much. They just say ‘ah, what a shame things turned out this way.’ The ones raging here are probably fans of that company.”
“They can’t even make a comeback right now, so what’s the point in debating popularity?”
“Nothing lasts forever~”
“Of course not. K-pop history tells us that. Thinking otherwise is just foolish.”
“They had plenty of chances but threw them away. Meanwhile, other girl groups are lining up to take that spot.”
“Yeah, just worry about yourself. When they come back, the atmosphere will change completely.”
“There were singers in the past who were as big as NewJeans, then disappeared. Years later, even a comeback didn’t help reignite their popularity.”
“All the ads NewJeans filmed are now being split among other idols. I wonder how the NewJeans members must feel…”
“They’re already done.”
“NewJeans is irreplaceable. No matter how much you hate on them here, public opinion is still in their favor. Everyone’s waiting for them. Calm down, seriously.”
What do you think about this? Do you think NewJeans can regain the explosive popularity they once had? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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