The ongoing legal dispute between ADOR and NewJeans doesn’t seem to settle anytime soon.
What caught the public’s attention was the dragging of two more names during the case: BTS and HYBE.
The proceeding, which happened on June 24, witnessed both parties appearing before the judge at the Seoul Central District Court. Things failed once again because neither ADOR nor NewJeans agreed to any terms.
The next proceeding is reportedly happening on August 14, followed by another on October 30 for the final ruling.
BTS dragged into the controversy
Legal representatives of both ADOR and NewJeans appeared in front of the 41st Civil Agreement Division of the Central District Court along with their clients. This was specifically for the case related to confirming the validity of the NewJeans’ exclusive contract with the same agency.
Not only did the parties fail to reach a mutual agreement, but they also sparked a new controversy by unexpectedly mentioning BTS’ name. This revelation by NewJeans’ legal team caught many off guard and drew criticism on social media.
Details of the court hearing
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During the last hearing, both parties were reportedly involved in a heated exchange of allegations. In one such instance during the questioning, NewJeans’ legal team mentioned the Bangtan Boys as a reason to explain HYBE’s treatment of ADOR.
The team also elaborated that ADOR, under Min Hee-jin’s leadership, was a threat to the internal power balance of HYBE. They further claimed that Bang Si-huyk both felt proud and threatened due to NewJeans’ successful debut.
In their words, “Like a royal general punished for success, Min was silenced.” The team also stated, “When Min Hee Jin directly brought up the unfair push-out and copy issues with HYBE, they immediately started an audit.”
The legal team of NewJeans also alleged that HYBE hates ADOR, because apart from BTS, their chairman, Bang Si-hyuk has never made any girl group successful.
According to them, HYBE’s unjust treatment of the NewJeans is because of the girl group’s success and is also related to the current power struggle between ADOR and HYBE.
ADOR’s response
The legal team of ADOR refused to respond to the allegations against the agency. Instead, they decided to move on to the next argument. Even HYBE has not made any comments regarding the exclusive mention of BTS in the courtroom.
Meanwhile, industry observers and fans have begun speculating about internal rivalries and changing power dynamics between HYBE’s multi-labels. ARMYs have also raised their dissatisfaction with the mention of BTS in the courtroom, even though the boys aren’t directly involved in this case.