NewJeans Cannot Operate Independently as NJZ... Court Grants Adore's Injunction Request

Court: "NewJeans Must Prove Contract Termination"
Activities Under 'NJZ' Name Halted

The court has put a stop to the girl group NewJeans pushing forward with activities under the new team name 'NJZ' while their exclusive contract with their agency ADOR has not yet ended. On the 21st, Yonhap News reported that the Civil Division 50 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-hoon) granted ADOR's injunction request to prohibit the signing of advertising contracts and to preserve the agency status against the five NewJeans members Kim Minji, Pham Hani, Danielle, Kang Haerin, and Lee Hyerin.

Girl group NewJeans (NJZ) is answering questions from the press as they leave the courthouse after the hearing date for the provisional injunction application regarding 'protection of agency status and prohibition of advertising contract conclusion' held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

The court stated, "If the trust between the contracting parties is broken, the entertainer may terminate the exclusive contract," but also judged, "The party claiming the termination of the contract must prove circumstances that make it difficult to maintain the contractual relationship." This injunction request was filed by ADOR to confirm that it still holds the agency status over NewJeans and to prevent the members from independently engaging in advertising activities without its approval or consent.

Earlier, during the injunction hearing held on the 7th, ADOR argued that the five NewJeans members unilaterally notified the termination of the exclusive contract and that there were no justifiable reasons for termination, emphasizing that ADOR had provided active tangible and intangible support for NewJeans' growth. They also claimed that the five members were accumulating violations of the exclusive contract by announcing a new team name and declaring contracts with a new agency while the exclusive contract had not yet ended.

Although attendance at the injunction hearing was not mandatory, the five NewJeans members appeared in court in person. NewJeans countered that ADOR’s parent company HYBE continued discriminatory and controlling actions against NewJeans compared to other affiliated groups, and ADOR neglected to address this. They also emphasized that since HYBE holds more than 75% of the shares of ADOR’s parent company, making independent decision-making by ADOR impossible, HYBE’s fault is effectively ADOR’s fault, and thus the notice of contract termination was lawful and justified.