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In a strategic move, the K-pop group formerly known as NewJeans announced their rebranding to "NJZ" through international media outlets before informing the Korean press.
On February 7, 2025, NJZ unveiled their new identity in an exclusive interview with CNN. Member Hanni explained that the rebrand was a way of "turning this rough period of time into something more exciting," emphasizing the group's desire to move forward despite legal challenges.
“We are working a lot to resolve everything so that we can go… back to normal.”
Before rebranding, the members created the Instagram account @jeanzforfree on December 14, 2024, to connect with fans amid their dispute with ADOR.
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After rebranding, they changed it to @njz_official, updated their profile, and confirmed their debut as NJZ at ComplexCon Hong Kong in March, where they’ll perform new music.
On February 7, 2025, ADOR spoke to CNN and underscored the legal consequences of announcing a new group name amidst a contract dispute. The HYBE subsidiary said,
“We regret the escalation of this matter to court and believe that most claims advanced by NewJeans members thus far have arisen from misunderstandings."
ADOR added:
"We worry that announcing an unauthorized new group name or engaging in entertainment activities before a legal judgement is reached… could constitute a material breach of the exclusive agency contract.”
The decision to announce the rebranding through international media was met with praise. Fans commended NJZ for their strategic approach, noting that prioritizing global outlets allowed them to control their narrative amid domestic legal challenges.
One fan wrote on X:
"All the local kr news outlets be like... WTF?? why did CNN get the first drop?? Well, y'all been shady with the girls..so deserve.."
Fans also highlighted the move as a calculated effort to maintain and expand their global fanbase.
"Smart they hitting all the western media. Cant trust Korean media as most are in Hybe’s pocket," a fan said.
"What I love the most about this is the fact that the world is watching now. That disgusting company thought that they could try and ruin these girls and no one would take notice, but everyone has eyes on them. HYBE is about to burn to the ground," another fan wrote.
"If their parents are truly handling their PR, they are very well-connected and strategic for choosing global media (those not on HYBE payroll) to break this awesome news," another fan noted.
Several supporters underscored that by engaging with international media, NJZ allegedly threw a shade at the Korean media outlets for alleged biased reporting.
"Getting an international news coverage first to get ahead of the narrative then will re-debut still in an asian stage when for sure they have the option to do it in the west... clever," one fan stated.
"njz is for the world domination," another fan remarked.
"This is more of a big shade to the most k-medias when a foreign media is more trustworthy to them," another fan added.
ADOR vs. NewJeans key highlights: Contract breaches, injunctions & accusations of poaching by Min Hee-jin
In late 2024, NJZ accused ADOR of violating their exclusive contracts, which sparked the dispute between them. On November 28, 2024, the members announced the termination of their contracts, citing ADOR's failure to rectify significant breaches.
In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit seeking legal confirmation of the contracts' validity with the Seoul Central District Court on December 3, 2024. The agency underlined that one party's allegations alone cannot be used as the basis for abruptly terminating an exclusive contract.
Along with the case, ADOR initiated an injunction on January 23, 2025, to stop the girl group from doing anything on their own, including signing deals for advertising without the agency's consent.
ADOR expressed concerns that such unilateral actions by the group could cause confusion among third parties, such as advertisers, and potentially damage the agency's brand value.
Amid the ongoing legal battle, former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin faced accusations of attempting to poach NewJeans from the agency. Park Jung-kyu, chairman of the tech company Davolink, claimed that he had a meeting with Min during which they discussed plans to remove NewJeans from ADOR and secure investments for the group.
The Korea Herald reported in January 2025, that according to Park Jung-kyu, Min proposed a 5 billion won ($3.43 million) investment in NewJeans, which he declined due to potential risks.
Instead, Park suggested that Min could take over management rights at Davolink in collaboration with a relative of a NewJeans member, who would acquire the tech company under his name. Park asserted that this scheme would reduce his risks and enable him to profit from the sale of his shares.
Min Hee-jin denied these allegations, asserting that she never met with any investors or discussed investments related to NewJeans. Ten Asia reported on January 9, 2025, that the Davolink Chairman responded to Min Hee-jin's denial and said:
"I was shocked to hear that she had never received any investment and had never met with any investors. Min Hee-jin is telling a blatant lie. We discussed investment for three hours and even talked about how to get New Jeans out."
ADOR versus NewJeans (NJZ) first injunction hearing is set for March 7, 2025. Their first hearing for the lawsuit is set for April 3, 2025.
