ADOR has terminated its exclusive contract with Danielle, while also announcing plans to take legal action against her family and former CEO Min Hee Jin.
The statement was released on Monday (December 29) by the HYBE subsidiary. This is a major turning point in the long-running dispute involving the girl group NewJeans.
Danielle is No Longer Part of NewJeans
On December 29, ADOR gave an important update about the ongoing negotiations with Minji, Hanni, and Danielle’s return. The label shared,
Hanni, together with her family, visited Korea and had long and in-depth conversations with ADOR. During this process, she took time to look back on past events and view the situation objectively. After sincere discussions, Hanni decided to respect the court’s ruling and continue with ADOR.
Minji has also been in talks with ADOR, and both sides are continuing discussions to deepen mutual understanding.
According to ADOR, Danielle’s situation is fundamentally different from that of the other members. Therefore, the label concluded that she can no longer continue as both a NewJeans member and an ADOR artist.
In Danielle’s case, ADOR has determined that it would be difficult to continue together as a member of NewJeans and as an artist under the company. Therefore, we have notified her today of the termination of her exclusive contract. Furthermore, we plan to hold legally accountable one of Danielle’s family members and former CEO Min Hee Jin, as they bear significant responsibility for causing the current dispute, NewJeans’s departure, and the delay in their return.
Members’ Returns and Ongoing Talks
The announcement comes about a month and a half after ADOR revealed that Haerin and Hyein had decided to end their conflict with the agency and return. Following that news, the remaining three members—Minji, Hanni, and Danielle—also publicly stated that they intended to return to ADOR.
However, ADOR later clarified that no final agreements had been reached with those three members. In its latest statement, the agency confirmed that Hanni will return to the company, while discussions with Minji are still ongoing.
ADOR further stated,
Through these discussions, ADOR has come to understand that the members had long been exposed to distorted and biased information, which led to many misunderstandings about the company and ultimately to this dispute. ADOR and the artists have agreed that, to regain the love and trust of fans and the public, it is necessary to take the time to clarify all misunderstandings based on accurate facts. We have also agreed to address the various controversies that arose during the dispute at a later time, and discussions are underway regarding the timing and manner of doing so.
Current Status of Each NewJeans Member
As of now, the paths of the NewJeans members are clearly divided. Haerin and Hyein have already returned to ADOR after respecting the court’s ruling. Hanni has decided to stay with the agency after visiting Korea with her family and holding long, in-depth discussions with ADOR.
Minji has not yet finalized her return. ADOR stated that discussions are still ongoing and are focused on building broader mutual understanding. Danielle, however, is no longer eligible to return, as her exclusive contract has been officially terminated.
Fans have been furious with the decision and currently “NewJeans is Five” is trending on social media.
The situation follows a decisive court ruling on October 30, when the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of ADOR in a lawsuit confirming the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contracts. The court concluded that the dismissal of Min Hee Jin did not constitute a breach of contract and rejected all claims raised by the group. The contracts were confirmed to be valid through 2029.
