The ongoing legal dispute between NewJeans and their agency ADOR continues to make headlines. Now, the entire case has taken a new turn as both parties appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on July 24 for their third hearing.
For the unversed, the dispute concerns the validity of the K-pop girl group’s exclusive contracts.
The court has reportedly confirmed a mediation date for August 14 during the same session, the outcome of which will be crucial in deciding the fate of the girl group and their agency.
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Recent statement by NewJeans
While many were thinking that none of the NewJeans members were keen on returning to ADOR, their recent statement suggests otherwise. What actually caught everyone’s attention was a specific condition which states, “It’s not that [the members] absolutely refuse to return to ADOR. If ADOR can be returned to how it was before the audit in April 2024, [they] would be willing to go back. But if that’s not possible, then we hope they will let [the members] go by terminating the contract.”
The group’s legal team has also argued that the conflict originated from HYBE’s audit of Min Hee Jin a year ago. The team further emphasized how NewJeans suffered the most despite the main issue being just the accusation of a breach of duty.
When did the legal dispute begin?
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The initial dispute between NewJeans and ADOR began when HYBE launched an audit against Min Hee Jin in April last year. The agency, which is itself currently embroiled in a stock fraud controversy, claimed that Jin was trying to seize management control and take NewJeans. However, no evidence was provided in the audit.
The cops also found no evidence of Min Hee Jin committing breach of duty, which proved that the audit attempts were based on false premises.
It was at this time that the NewJeans members strongly claimed to have no trust in ADOR. They even went on to call it an organization controlled by HYBE staff. This further led them to reiterate that they are not returning to ADOR in its current state.
In their legal team’s words, “Today’s ADOR is not the same ADOR that led to our past success. It’s now controlled by HYBE staff. The so-called generous support and dividends came when Min Hee Jin was CEO. We can’t trust ADOR anymore, which is why we can’t return to it in its current state.”
Public reaction to the legal dispute
NewJeans’ latest demand before the hearing has now sparked intrigue and heated reactions from various Korean netizens. Ahead of each party presenting their arguments, legal representatives for the members of NewJeans eventually made a notable request to the court. It stated that they would not object to any evidence being submitted, unless the materials are collected unlawfully or deemed sensitive.
Despite this, ADOR’s team provided the court with a key piece of evidence: a KakaoTalk message where Min Hee Jin reportedly stated, “I’m going to take them [NJZ] back after three years.”
ADOR’s move triggered an immediate backlash from the legal team of the K-pop group, who accused the agency of intentionally revealing private information despite objections.
The Korean court, however, dismissed the protest. The judge also claimed that since this is all known information, they need not present it in open court.
Once the news became public, Korean citizens reacted harshly to NewJeans’ request. Meanwhile, the month of August is going to be crucial for both sides as it will decide the fate of the K-pop girl group’s future ventures.