Today was bittersweet for Bunnies, the NewJeans fandom. On the positive side, former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, who has the strong support of NewJeans members, won a major legal battle as police cleared her of breach of trust charges filed by HYBE after a year of investigation and decided not to forward the case for prosecution.
However, fans were also met with disappointing news: NewJeans is no longer the PR ambassador for the Incheon Airport Customs Headquarters.
An official from the customs office stated on July 15, “The PR ambassador contract with NewJeans has ended. After amicable discussions with ADOR, we decided not to extend it.”
ADOR had been in talks until recently to renew the contract. However, due to NewJeans’ ongoing exclusive contract dispute, they determined that further activities would be difficult and decided to end the contract.
In March, there were rumors that NewJeans had been dropped as Incheon Airport Customs ambassadors, but officials dismissed these claims back then, saying they were in discussions to renew the contract instead.
Due to the ongoing legal dispute, ADOR’s injunction win, and the group’s hiatus, the members have been unable to do brand partnerships. Big collaborations with UGG, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nike, and Celine have stalled, as the members have rarely attended any brand events since the contract dispute began.
Last month, Danielle attended an Omega event, and that too with special approval from ADOR.
NewJeans announced the termination of their contract in November 2024, which led ADOR to file two lawsuits. One to block the members from signing new advertising deals independently, and another to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract.
ADOR secured an injunction right before NewJeans planned to launch a new chapter as NJZ in March. Instead of moving forward with ADOR, the members announced hiatus until the court’s final decision. Despite their repeated objections, the court sided with ADOR and upheld the ban on NewJeans’ activities. The main lawsuit about the exclusive contract’s validity will hold its third hearing next week.
Meanwhile, NewJeans was named a customs ambassador on March 22, 2024, with a one-year term that ended this March. There is speculation that customs is now searching for a new ambassador.
Following in the footsteps of Girls’ Generation, Blackpink, and NewJeans, rumors have circulated that another girl group might take on the role. However, customs officials clarified that no decision has been made yet regarding the next promotional ambassador.
