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On April 3, 2025, the Seoul Central District Court held the first hearing on NewJeans and ADOR’s contract dispute. The court reviewed the validity of the group's contracts amid their legal battle with ADOR and HYBE. NewJeans' legal team argued that they could not continue without former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, as she was essential to their identity and creative direction.
ADOR disputed this claim by pointing to their recent Hong Kong concert. The agency noted that the event was organized and completed without Min Hee-jin’s involvement. They argued this contradicted the group’s stance that they could not function without her.
“In relation to producing, the defendant's side is emphasizing that they cannot do entertainment activities without Min Hee-jin and that they must go together. It is true that former CEO Min Hee-jin contributed to what NewJeans is today, but it makes no sense to say, 'NewJeans cannot exist without Min Hee-jin,'" HYBE's subsidiary stated (via Top Star News).
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ADOR added:
“Above all, ADOR is a subsidiary of HYBE, the number one industry in our country, so it makes no sense that the subsidiary could not find another producer to support (New Jeans)."
The agency continued:
"Considering that the defendants independently prepared the Hong Kong concert without Min Hee-jin's help and successfully completed the concert, the claim that only Min Hee-jin could do it contradicts the defendant's own words and actions."
Members of the K-pop group were absent from the hearing. Only the plaintiff ADOR and the legal representatives of the defendant attended the session.
Previously, the members attended the hearing regarding the 'provisional measures for preserving agency status and prohibiting the signing of advertising contracts,' where they presented their claims.
NewJeans is on hiatus after the court's ruling
The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of ADOR on March 21, 2025, granting the agency’s request for an injunction. The court’s decision requires NewJeans to adhere to their exclusive contract. It restricts them from engaging in independent activities without ADOR’s approval.
The ruling comes after ADOR’s legal action in January. The agency aimed to keep its management rights and stop the group from signing independent ad deals until the contract dispute was settled. Despite this, the members recently performed at ComplexCon in Hong Kong on March 23, 2025.
There, they debuted their new song, Pit Stop. After the event, the South Korean girl band said they would follow the court’s ruling and pause all activities. The conflict between NewJeans and ADOR started in November 2024. The group announced they were ending their contract, citing breaches of trust.
In December, ADOR sued the group, arguing the contract was still valid. The dispute escalated when the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing on ADOR’s injunction request on March 7, 2025. Two weeks later, the court ruled in ADOR’s favor.
On the day of the ruling, NewJeans filed an objection to the injunction. A hearing for this is set for April 9, 2025. Meanwhile, the main case over the contract’s validity is ongoing, with the first hearing held today, April 3, 2025, at the Seoul Central District Court.
