NewJeans Faces Legal Setback as Court Sides with ADOR in Contract Dispute

NJZ (Doc. Spec)

Wartagate.com - The Seoul Central District Court has ruled in favor of ADOR, the agency managing the South Korean idol group NewJeans, in an ongoing legal dispute over their contractual relationship. The decision restricts NewJeans from pursuing an independent career outside ADOR’s management.

According to a report by The New York Times, the court reaffirmed ADOR’s authority over the group, legally binding them to their existing contract. 

As a result, NewJeans is prohibited from releasing new music, scheduling performances, or entering into agreements without the agency’s approval.

This ruling comes after NewJeans announced their intention to leave ADOR in November 2024 and rebrand themselves under the new identity, NJZ. 

However, following the court’s decision, NJZ expressed their dissatisfaction and confirmed plans to appeal.

In their official statement, NJZ asserted that the ruling did not fully consider the group’s claims of unfair and unequal treatment by the agency. 

"We did not have a sufficient opportunity to fully present the factual background to the court," they stated.

ADOR, on the other hand, rejected NJZ’s allegations and welcomed the court’s decision, emphasizing its exclusive rights as the group's agency. 

"With legal confirmation of our status as NewJeans' exclusive agency, we are fully committed to supporting our artists moving forward, and we look forward to meeting with the members for constructive discussions," ADOR declared in its official statement.

Despite the ongoing dispute, both ADOR and NewJeans have confirmed the group’s participation in the upcoming ComplexCon festival in Hong Kong this weekend.

Tensions between NewJeans and ADOR have been escalating since August 2024, reportedly due to the removal of Min Hee-Jin, the group's executive producer. HYBE, ADOR’s parent company, replaced Min as ADOR’s CEO last year. 

In response, NewJeans pushed for Min’s reinstatement, but after HYBE refused, the group decided to leave the agency.

With the conflict still unresolved, the future of NewJeans remains uncertain as they prepare to challenge the court’s ruling.