“No action has been taken”- Incheon airport customs denies plans to replace NJZ (NewJeans) as ambassadors amidst ongoing ADOR feud

NJZ (New Jeans) is in the news again after a court ruling favored ADOR. The group became Incheon Airport’s honorary ambassadors on March 27, 2024, with a one-year contract set to end this month. According to Yonhap News, the airport is considering an extension.

A customs official at the Incheon airport addressed the rumours that the group's contract had already been terminated. The official cleared the air and stated that,

“It is groundless. The two parties have not yet begun negotiations on whether to extend the contract, and no action has been taken.”

An official of Incheon Customs released a statement addressing the group's contract renewal. The statement read,

“We will review whether to extend the contract with New Jeans ahead of the expiration date of the contract at the end of this month.”

New Jeans was announced as Incheon airport's global ambassadors in March 2024 after taking over from BLACKPINK.

---

NJZ aka New Jeans' legal battle with ADOR at a glance

New Jeans, aka NJZ, consists of five members: Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle, and Minji. The group has been embroiled in a legal battle against its label ADOR for a while now. It all began when, in November 2024, the group announced in a press conference that it would be conducting activities apart from the label. The group also asked the label to terminate the contract, which is originally supposed to expire in 2029. Subsequently, ADOR filed an injunction against the group.

However, the group created a separate social media account after the announcement and began communicating with the fans from that account. In February 2025, the group announced a rebranding of its name as NJZ. The group went on international platforms and spoke about its fight against the label, publicly mentioning the alleged mistreatment and harassment the members had to face.

---

Will NJZ be able to carry out independent activities in the future?

The fans and netizens have been largely divided over the row. However, 30,000 domestic and international Bunnies (fandom name) had filed a petition in the court on March 12 requesting a dismissal of ADOR's injunction against the quintet, according to Sports Gyeong Hyang.

As reported by Yonhap News, on March 21, the court ruled in favor of ADOR in regards to the injunction. As a result, New Jeans will not be able to carry out any activities as soloists or under the new name NJZ, without ADOR's approval. However, the group can be seen continuing its global activities for a while, with the release of its new single, Pit Stop, and a headlining performance at the ComplexCon in Hong Kong earlier this month.

After concluding its performance, New Jeans announced a short hiatus from activities following the court ruling. Since then, the group has not made any further public appearances. ADOR took to New Jeans' X account to announce the extension of fan membership for the next 365 days without any additional cost.

The legal battle between the group and the label continues to date. A court hearing is scheduled on April 3 again, where NJZ plans to present its side by raising “additional legal issues,” according to CNN.