The court once again dismissed NewJeans’ claims regarding ADOR’s alleged breach of contract, affirming that Min Hee-jin was not trying to protect the group as she claimed, but rather attempting to make them independent from the company.
The verdict session for Civil Case No. 41 at the Seoul Central District Court was held at 9:50 a.m. on October 30. The lawsuit was filed by ADOR against the five NewJeans members to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract. NewJeans did not attend the hearing.
The court stated: “It is difficult to consider that ADOR violated the exclusive contract simply by dismissing Min Hee-jin from her position as CEO.”
It also added: “Min Hee-jin waged a public opinion battle for the independence of NewJeans, not for their protection.”
Last year, NewJeans had announced their independent activities, claiming that ADOR had breached their exclusive contract. However, the court approved all of ADOR’s requests to maintain its position as the producing agency and to prohibit the signing of any advertising or other contracts under the name of NewJeans, effectively banning their independent activities.
Most Korean netizens criticized both the members and Min Hee-jin, saying that the actions of the group and their former director destroyed their own careers, while a few commenters placed the blame on HYBE:
“I’m a fan of NewJeans’ songs, but both NewJeans and Min Hee-jin should have known when to stop. When ADOR asked Min Hee-jin to stay on as a producer, they should have just waited until the contract ended…”
“NewJeans were completely brainwashed.”
“In the end, it’s the real-life version of the goose that laid the golden eggs. They ruined their own careers, and now they have to return the money they earned. I don’t feel sorry for them at all. When you break a notarized contract for your own benefit, you must pay the price. Even with a simple reservation, there’s a cancellation fee…”
“The thought of ‘I want what I can’t have’ should’ve stayed just a thought.” ㅋㅋㅋ
“It all started with Min Hee-jin.” ㅋㅋㅋ
“A natural outcome. Even if HYBE was at fault in some ways, I think the worst one here is Ms. Min. As long as there are laws and contracts, she should have acted within that framework instead of taking the girls and leaving.”
“HYBE was the one who cut ties first, and Min Hee-jin wanted to settle things properly, but HYBE replaced the CEO. There’s already evidence of their ties with a cult, and the court declared Min Hee-jin not guilty of breach of trust. So who’s really at fault?”
“And yet, there are still people trying to abolish the breach of trust law after all this…”
What do you think?
