On July 24, representatives of NewJeans and their agency ADOR’s legal team appeared before the Seoul Central District Court for their third hearing to discuss the legal status of the group’s exclusive contracts. A closed mediation session has also been scheduled for August 14. This will be held behind closed doors and is expected to be a turning point in the future of the group’s relationship with their agency.
The most notable statement of the day, and one that drew the most attention, was that of NewJeans’ legal team, which confirmed that the members are not completely opposed to returning to ADOR. However, their return will be subject to one important condition: the agency will return to its previous structure and management, as it was before HYBE’s audit and changes in April 2024. If ADOR rejects this condition, the team will demand the termination of the contracts and the legal release of the members.
NewJeans’ legal team stated, “It’s not that the members are completely refusing to return to ADOR. If ADOR can be restored to its pre-April 2024 audit status, they would be willing to return. However, if that’s not possible, we hope they will release (the members) by terminating their contracts.”
Controversy erupted between NewJeans (led by Min Hee Jin) and ADOR (led by HYBE) after Min Hee Jin accused ILLIT of plagiarism and copying NewJeans’ concept. The situation escalated when HYBE Entertainment launched an internal investigation against Min Hee Jin, leading to her dismissal from her position as CEO of ADOR and accusations of attempting to take over NewJeans. However, NewJeans’ legal team claims that the investigation did not reveal any breach of duty or breach of trust by Min Hee Jin, as HYBE alleged, and they believe that the fallout from this investigation has harmed NewJeans more than any other party.
NewJeans’ legal team shared, “This legal dispute began because HYBE launched an audit against Min Hee Jin in April 2024. They alleged that she was attempting to seize control of NewJeans, but there was no evidence in the audit or grounds for dismissal. The main issue was the alleged breach of duty, and in the midst of all of this, NewJeans was the most affected. The police later found no evidence that Min Hee Jin had committed any breach of duty. The audit and dismissal attempts were based on false assumptions and were aimed at removing Min Hee Jin.
The NewJeans team strongly emphasized that they could no longer trust ADOR because it was now “controlled by HYBE employees.” The team strongly emphasized that they could not return to ADOR in its current state.
The NewJeans team added, “The ADOR of today is not the same ADOR that led us to success in the past. It is now controlled by HYBE employees. The so-called generous support and profits came when Min Hee Jin was CEO. We can no longer trust ADOR, which is why we cannot return to it in its current state.”
