ADOR and NewJeans (NJZ) Escalate Legal Dispute Amid Ongoing Independent Activities and Contract Controversy
NJZ’s Parents Accuse ADOR of Retaliatory Attempt to Block Group’s Activities
NJZ declared on March 6 that their exclusive contract with ADOR had been terminated as of November 29, 2024, citing the agency’s failure to fulfill its contractual obligations. They asserted that ADOR no longer had the right to manage or interfere with their activities.
In response, ADOR filed an injunction on January 6 to retain its management authority and prevent NJZ from signing independent advertising contracts. NJZ’s parents criticized this move, stating, “We initially believed the injunction only concerned advertising activities, but it also included a request to recognize ADOR’s management authority. This is a clear attempt to restrict all of NJZ’s entertainment activities and completely block their career.”
On February 11, ADOR took further legal action, seeking an additional injunction to prohibit NJZ from engaging in any music-related activities, including songwriting, composing, and performing. The parents argued that this was a retaliatory measure after they had previously claimed that HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk pressured the organizers of the Hong Kong Complex concert.
Additionally, they accused HYBE of subjecting NewJeans to ongoing discrimination and unfair treatment, attempting to diminish the group’s achievements and value. They reaffirmed their commitment to fighting the legal battle, stating, “We will actively participate in the injunction case and the upcoming main lawsuit to reaffirm the legitimacy of the contract termination. We hope no one else will have to suffer the same unfair treatment as we did.”
Since announcing their contract termination in November 2024, NJZ has continued to operate independently, engaging with fans under their new identity and building their career outside of ADOR’s control.
Full Statement from NJZ’s Parents
Hello, this is NJZ.
Last Friday, ADOR released an additional statement. To address that and to prevent any misunderstandings regarding the injunction scheduled for this week, we are left with no choice but to share our stance.
We notified ADOR of the termination of our exclusive contract on November 29, 2024, due to their failure to fulfill their contractual obligations. As a result, the contract has ended, and ADOR no longer has the right to manage or interfere with our activities.
AdvertisementNevertheless, on January 6, 2025, ADOR filed an injunction requesting recognition as NJZ’s management company. At the time, ADOR appeared to argue that the issue was limited to advertising activities. However, the filing also included a request to affirm their status as our management agency. This was an attempt not only to restrict our advertising activities but to entirely obstruct all of NJZ’s entertainment activities, making it clear that ADOR’s ultimate goal was to completely block our career.
Furthermore, on February 11, 2025, ADOR expanded the scope of its injunction request, seeking to prohibit not only NJZ’s advertising activities but also all music-related activities, including songwriting, composing, performing, and singing, as well as any other associated entertainment activities.
This occurred right after we received reports that HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk had pressured the organizers of the Complex concert in Hong Kong. Given the timing, we believe this move was a retaliatory measure following the failure of their attempt to cancel the concert.
Until just a few days ago, ADOR continued to make public statements regarding NJZ’s independent activities. However, they never disclosed the fact that their injunction aimed to prohibit all of NJZ’s entertainment activities.
This is in stark contrast to their approach when filing the January 6 injunction, which they widely publicized. While ADOR claims that their actions are meant to prevent confusion among fans and advertisers, in reality, they have asked the court to ban NJZ from pursuing any entertainment activities at all.
This is an attempt to violate NJZ’s right to work while also avoiding public criticism by keeping these details hidden.
Music is at the core of NJZ’s identity, and restricting these activities is equivalent to denying NJZ’s very existence. In the end, ADOR’s injunction was always intended to completely obstruct NJZ’s career.
We have endured continuous discrimination and unfair treatment within HYBE. After our Tokyo Dome fan meeting in June 2024, HYBE made it clear that they would not allow us to promote for an extended period, claiming they were giving us a long vacation. They also made remarks to reporters that belittled our achievements, repeatedly attempting to undermine our value. Although we did not disclose this earlier, these attempts continued even after the termination of our contract and have recently escalated further.
We raised objections and protested to ADOR multiple times, yet even when we were under their management, ADOR neither protected us nor addressed our concerns. Instead, they sided with HYBE and other labels, treating our claims as false. Most importantly, none of the major activities we had planned for 2024 were carried out, causing us significant damage. Even after the contract termination, we have faced continued interference and harassment, including obstacles in securing advertisements and visa issues.
We repeatedly requested ADOR to correct these issues to maintain our contractual relationship, but they ignored all of our requests. In the end, we had no choice but to terminate the contract.
Due to ADOR’s repeated and serious breaches of duty, the trust that is fundamental to an exclusive contract had already collapsed long ago. If NJZ were forced to continue activities under ADOR, it would not only make normal entertainment activities impossible but also cause us unbearable mental distress.
ADOR is fully aware of this situation, yet they continue to use various methods to block our activities. The injunction and other obstruction tactics are nothing more than attempts to permanently halt our careers as artists and force us into submission.
Our termination notice was issued based on the legal principles of exclusive contracts and civil law, following standard legal procedures. Therefore, ADOR and certain parties’ claims that our independent activities after the contract termination are somehow illegal or improper are entirely false. It is absurd to demand that only the artist must give up their legal rights and protections.
We will sincerely participate in the injunction case and the upcoming main lawsuit, reaffirming the legitimacy of our contract termination through the legal process.
We hope that no one else will have to experience the kind of unfair treatment we have endured.
Thank you.
ADOR Expands Injunction Amid NJZ’s Independent Activities
ADOR has responded to NJZ’s claims, emphasizing that their legal actions are not meant to restrict the group’s activities but to uphold contractual obligations.
On March 6, right after the NJZ’s claim, ADOR stated, “While an injunction to preserve our position as the agency and prohibit unauthorized advertising contract agreements is still in progress, NewJeans has expanded their activities by announcing a new song release and large-scale overseas performances. Therefore, we had no choice but to expand the scope of our injunction request.”
In response, ADOR refuted these aforementioned allegations, stating, “This is not an attempt to restrict their activities but rather a request for them to continue their entertainment career ‘with ADOR’ and ‘while honoring their contract.’ As we have already publicly stated, we have never pressured event organizers or expanded the scope of our injunction as a retaliatory measure. In court tomorrow, ADOR will clarify any misunderstandings and seek a judgment affirming that ADOR is indeed NewJeans’ agency, which numerous members of our team have been waiting for.”
The first hearing for ADOR’s injunction is set for March 7, while the contract validity lawsuit will take place on April 3. Meanwhile, NJZ has continued independent activities, including an appearance at “Complex Live,” a side event of ComplexCon, scheduled for March 21 in Hong Kong.