According to a report by Spotv News on October 30, 2025, NewJeans cannot leave ADOR, meaning the group lost the legal dispute against the agency and their exclusive contracts remain valid until July 31, 2029.
The 41st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (presided over by Judge Jung Hwi-il) announced at the session held on the morning of October 29:
“It is confirmed that the exclusive contracts signed between ADOR and the members of NewJeans remain in effect,”
declaring that NewJeans’ contract with ADOR is still in force. The court also ruled that the five members of NewJeans are responsible for the legal costs.
It is noted that NewJeans held an emergency press conference on November 28 last year to announce the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR, while the agency responded that the contract was still valid and filed a lawsuit in December of the same year to confirm the contract’s validity. ADOR also requested a provisional injunction to prevent the members from engaging in any individual activities or signing advertising contracts until the final ruling.
In February, the members announced a new team name, NJZ, and began independent activities, but the court accepted ADOR’s request and suspended those activities, rejecting all subsequent objections and appeals from NewJeans.
Additionally, the court approved ADOR’s request to impose a fine of 10 billion won (approximately $7.2 million) per member if they engage in any entertainment activities without prior approval from the agency.
Following this decision, NewJeans announced a suspension of their activities and entered a complete hiatus.
Korean netizens expressed their frustration with NewJeans members’ decisions, considering that their legal attempt was doomed to fail from the start, and that all they had to do was simply pay the contract fee if they wanted to leave the agency:
- “Min Hee-jin was not suing NewJeans primarily. She fought with Bang Si-hyuk, used the ‘If I can’t eat it, you can’t either’ mentality, lured the girls into a legal battle to prevent them from working, and then started a new company as an escape. People who trusted NewJeans’ ‘Mommy’ were truly foolish.”
- “Is it easy to win against the biggest entertainment agency, the largest law firm, and the biggest media outlet? Don’t be swayed by adults, make wise decisions.”
- “Don’t waste your lawyer fees~~~~”
- “It’s not that you can’t leave, you just have to pay the penalty.”
- “A contract is a contract—can it be broken easily? Not unless you pay a penalty…”
- “So, will NewJeans be active with ADOR again?”
- “Anyway, prettier girl groups appear every day, so it’s over now… NewJeans… what a shame.”
