ADOR, which manages NewJeans, has won a major damages lawsuit against director Shin Woo Seok and his advertising production company, Dolphin Kidnapping Group. Shin Woo Seok is the director behind NewJeans’ music videos for “Ditto” and “ETA.”
On January 13, the 62nd Civil Affairs Division of the Seoul Central District Court, led by Presiding Judge Lee Hyeon Seok, ruled in favor of ADOR. The court ordered Dolphin Kidnapping Group to pay ADOR 1 billion won, along with interest for late payment. This amount is approximately 700,000 US dollars.
The lawsuit stemmed from the unauthorized upload of the director’s cut of NewJeans’ “ETA” music video. In August 2024, Shin Woo Seok uploaded the video to the Dolphin Kidnapping Group’s official YouTube channel without prior written approval from ADOR.
ADOR stated that this violated the service contract, which required written consent for any release of the content. The agency argued that the upload was illegal and infringed on copyright, as the video is owned by ADOR.
After ADOR requested the removal of the “ETA” director’s cut, Shin Woo Seok deleted all NewJeans-related videos from another unofficial channel he operated, known as the “Ban Hee-soo Channel.” He publicly claimed that ADOR had asked him to delete all NewJeans content.
The HYBE subsidiary denied this claim and clarified that it only requested the removal of the “ETA” director’s cut. The agency stated that it never asked for the deletion or upload of any other NewJeans videos and accused the director of spreading false information.
Following ADOR’s public statement, Shin Woo Seok filed a lawsuit against the agency, claiming that ADOR’s reference to an “unauthorized release” was defamatory. At the same time, ADOR filed a damages lawsuit against Dolphin Kidnapping Group.
They insisted that the unauthorized release of the “ETA” video was unlawful and caused harm to the company’s reputation. ADOR also argued that the controversy led fans to believe the agency was intentionally obstructing the activities of its only artist.
During the trial, Shin Woo Seok and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, who testified as a witness, claimed there was a verbal agreement that allowed the upload. They described it as a common practice in the industry but the court rejected this argument. It ruled that verbal agreements cannot override written contracts and stated that the defense failed to present reliable evidence to support their claims.
The court’s decision ends a 16-month legal dispute that became closely tied to the wider conflict involving ADOR, Min Hee Jin, and the members of NewJeans. In September 2024, after the video takedown request, Shin Woo Seok’s claims and ADOR’s denial caused backlash among fans. In November 2024, the director also filed a criminal defamation complaint against ADOR’s CEO.
During a hearing related to the “ETA” case in December, Min Hee Jin testified for the defense. ADOR’s legal team questioned her credibility and accused her of approving excessively high payments to the production company.
The dispute continued to escalate in 2025. Between May and June, a court fined each NewJeans member 1 billion won per violation for unauthorized activities carried out under the name “NJZ.” In October last year, another court ruled that NewJeans’ exclusive contracts with ADOR were valid and rejected the members’ attempt to terminate them.
After the October contract ruling, the status of NewJeans began to change. Haerin and Hyein returned to activities under ADOR in November 2025. Hanni will continue with the agency. Minji’s situation is still being discussed. Danielle’s contract was terminated in December, after which ADOR filed a separate lawsuit seeking 30 million dollars in damages against her, a family member, and Min Hee Jin.
