The highly publicized dispute between NewJeans, Min Hee Jin, and HYBE has been dragging on since early 2024 with no end in sight.
A major development occurred when the members of NewJeans announced their contract termination with ADOR in November 2024. In response, ADOR emphasized that the contract is still valid and also initiated a lawsuit to confirm its validity.
While they parted ways with their label, they have been carrying out scheduled activities in Korea, Japan, and abroad without using the group’s name.
NewJeans has officially wrapped up its contractual obligations with ADOR by attending the 39th Golden Disc Awards in Fukuoka, Japan on January 4. The group is now only left with a few remaining advertisement-related commitments.
Previously, the group sent a certified letter to ADOR before announcing their contract termination. They demanded corrective action and reinstatement of Min Hee Jin as CEO of ADOR within a 14-day deadline.
Once the deadline ended, NewJeans held a press conference in November last year, stating that ADOR had breached their contract. As a result, the contract was terminated and they couldn’t continue under the label. The group promised to fulfill existing commitments made to ADOR.
They have since launched a separate Instagram “jeanzforfree” and communicate with fans frequently. Their new Instagram account has already reached 4 million followers.
Moreover, they are not using the group name at the moment and promised to fight for the trademark at the press briefing. Vogue Korea released a pictorial with the group on December 12. The fashion magazine credited the individuals as Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, rather than the group name “NewJeans”. Notably, former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin contributed to the photo shoot as a special creative director.
Dual citizenship holders Hanni and Danielle of NewJeans face visa issues in Korea, with Hanni’s E-6 visa reportedly expiring soon. ADOR claims to be handling the visa extension process since their exclusive contract is still valid. Meanwhile, a naming dispute looms as ADOR owns the trademark rights to “NewJeans”. All eyes are on how the members will proceed with future activities and ADOR’s response.
