ADOR: “HYBE’s 21 Billion KRW Investment and ‘BTS’s Little Sister’ PR Played Key Roles in NewJeans’ Success”
At 10:30 AM on March 7th, the Seoul Central District Court (Civil Division 50) held the first hearing for ADOR’s injunction request to maintain its position as the management agency of NewJeans and to prohibit the members from signing independent advertisement contracts.
NewJeans members and CEO Kim Joo-young appeared in court as defendants and plaintiffs, respectively. The members arrived around 10 AM, dressed in black suits, stepping out of a white van before entering the courtroom.
During the hearing, ADOR’s legal representative stated, “NewJeans’ success was backed by ADOR’s full support. HYBE invested 21 billion won in two separate instances. Such an investment for a single group is unprecedented.”
They further asserted, “NewJeans is one of the world-class girl groups representing Korea. While the members’ talent and hard work were the biggest contributors to their success, those factors alone do not fully explain their rise.”
ADOR’s legal representative stated, “NewJeans is the only artist under ADOR. Every single employee, from stylists, music video directors, choreographers, to managers, has been fully dedicated to NewJeans’ success since their trainee days, working tirelessly for them.”
The company emphasized HYBE’s significant financial support in NewJeans’ rise, saying, “(Because of HYBE’s substantial investment), we were able to create a fan platform exclusively for NewJeans and invest 10 billion KRW (approximately 7 million USD) solely in their debut and marketing.”
Beyond financial support, ADOR claimed that HYBE’s intangible resources also played a crucial role in the group’s success. Their legal representative stated, “NewJeans appeared in BTS’s music video before their debut and were introduced from the very beginning as ‘BTS’s younger sisters.’ At Min Hee-jin’s request, they were promoted as ‘the group following in BTS’s footsteps’ and even as ‘a group surpassing BTS.’ Using another group’s recognition for promotion was an unprecedented case within HYBE at that time.”
In late November last year, NewJeans members unilaterally notified ADOR of their contract termination. ADOR refused to accept this and filed an injunction against them in January.
Initially, ADOR claimed that the injunction was to prevent confusion and damages to third parties, such as advertisers. However, last month, they expanded their request, asking the court to prohibit not just advertising but also “all music-related activities, including lyric writing, composing, performing, and singing, as well as any other ancillary activities.”