NewJeans Continues Dispute with ADOR Despite Court Ruling

K-POP group NewJeans has announced it will appeal a court decision, resisting the ruling in its contract dispute with former label ADOR. This conflict began last November when NewJeans — now rebranded as NJZ — unilaterally terminated its contract with ADOR. On the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court granted ADOR’s interim injunction, ordering NewJeans to perform only under its contract and cease any commercial activities outside of it. The court stated that “there is insufficient evidence to support the claims of NewJeans’ members.” NewJeans consists of five members: Jimin, Danielle Marsh, Haerin, Phạm Ngọc Hân, and Lee Hyein. Lee Hyein, who is 16 years old this year, shared her struggles in a TIME interview, saying, “Some people treated me as a child for their convenience before expecting me to act like an adult,” and adding that it was “a very difficult time.” Last November, NewJeans declared it was ending its contract with ADOR due to “unfair treatment,” “discrimination,” and “workplace harassment,” a decision ADOR rejected. This dispute caused HYBE to suffer losses of approximately $500 million in market capital value. In January, ADOR filed an injunction to prevent NewJeans from conducting new promotional activities, and after the group rebranded as NJZ in February, it expanded the restrictions to include the release of new songs and international performances as well. NewJeans had scheduled a performance at the Hong Kong ComplexCon festival on March 23, but the court approved the injunction just days before the show. In an Instagram statement, NewJeans/NJZ said it “respects the court’s decision” but believed it “did not fully consider the fact that trust has been completely destroyed.” The group also explained its reasons for appealing, stating that “the members were not given enough time to prove their case, and many people are unable to cooperate due to pressure and retaliation resulting from the legal involvement.” This dispute has shocked the entire K-POP industry. In February, five industry associations related to K-POP issued a warning statement saying that if terminating contracts like NewJeans’ became common practice, it could cause severe damage to the entire K-POP industry.