NewJeans Files Objection to Court Ruling in ADOR Injunction Case — A New Round Begins?
According to a Segye Ilbo report on March 24, NewJeans submitted an objection to the Seoul Central District Court, which had previously ruled in favor of ADOR’s request to prohibit the members from conducting independent activities or signing advertising deals outside of the agency. The court will now conduct a retrial to review the case.
On March 21, the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court granted ADOR’s injunction request to maintain its status as the official management agency of NewJeans. This decision follows ADOR’s legal action against the five members, who declared their contract termination last November and attempted to engage in independent advertising deals and activities.
ADOR previously stated, “It is regrettable that the members are trying to initiate independent entertainment activities before receiving a legal judgment. This could be a serious violation of their contracts.” Meanwhile, the NewJeans members countered, saying, “We wanted to resolve matters amicably, but ADOR and HYBE’s actions left us no choice but to fight for the truth in court.”
The court also ruled that NewJeans must cover all legal expenses related to the injunction, further complicating their legal position. Additionally, this decision casts uncertainty over the group’s participation in upcoming events, including ComplexCon in Hong Kong on March 23.
Additionally, the court not only preserved ADOR’s status as a planning agency for New Jeans, but also ruled that New Jeans’ advertising contract without ADOR was illegal. With this injunction, New Jeans will be restricted from moving without ADOR, including music activities and advertising contracts.
However, the court limited the period of preservation of ADOR’s planning agency status for New Jeans to before the first trial ruling on the lawsuit for confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contract. Now, the dispute between the two sides is expected to focus on the lawsuit related to the exclusive contract. The real future of New Jeans depends on the outcome of this lawsuit.
Meanwhile, ADOR released a more conciliatory tone, stating that they hope to “meet with the artists soon and have an honest conversation”, and even pledged to support NewJeans’ scheduled ComplexCon performance.
However, when NewJeans took the stage at ComplexCon on March 23, they announced a temporary suspension of activities, stating: “We respect the court’s decision and have decided to pause our activities. It wasn’t an easy choice, but we believe it’s necessary right now.”
ADOR later expressed regret over the performance and unilateral suspension: “We are deeply disappointed that the group performed under a different name despite the court’s ruling, and that they unilaterally announced their hiatus.”
