NewJeans Faces Legal Battle with Ador Over Contract Dispute
On March 7, 2025, the popular girl group NewJeans (뉴진스) attended a court hearing at the Seoul Central District Court regarding a request for a temporary injunction against their agency, Ador (어도어). The hearing was focused on the agency's claim to maintain its status and prevent the members from signing advertising contracts independently. All five members—Hani (하니), Minji (민지), Hyein (혜인), Haerin (해린), and Danielle (다니엘)—were present, along with Ador's CEO, Kim Joo-young (김주영).
The legal dispute began when the members announced their independent activities after claiming that their exclusive contracts with Ador were violated in November 2024. In December, Ador filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the contracts and subsequently sought a court order in January to prevent the members from entering into advertising agreements on their own.
In February, the group changed their activity name to NJZ and announced a performance scheduled for Hong Kong from March 21 to 23. Ador expanded its legal request on February 11, seeking to prohibit all entertainment activities, including songwriting and singing, by NewJeans.
During the court proceedings, the main issue was whether Ador and its parent company, HYBE (하이브), discriminated against NewJeans. Ador countered the members' claims by highlighting their investments and support for the group, asserting that there were no grounds for contract termination. However, the members argued that they had experienced discrimination and cited significant breaches of contract by Ador.
Ador maintained that contract termination is only valid in cases of serious breaches, such as failure to provide opportunities for activities or revenue settlement. They argued that the reasons cited by NewJeans were unfounded and unrelated to the core terms of the contract.
The agency also pointed out that the claims of discrimination were illogical, stating that a profit-driven company would not undermine its primary source of income. They emphasized the importance of honoring exclusive contracts as foundational to the K-pop industry.
In response, the members accused Ador and HYBE of attempting to replace and discard them, asserting that they were being treated like slaves without any acknowledgment or apology for their grievances. They also raised concerns about alleged similarities between NewJeans and another group, ILY:1, and mentioned incidents of leaked videos from their trainee days.
The court is set to receive additional evidence and documentation over the next week, with a conclusion to the hearing scheduled for March 14. Separately, Ador has filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts, with the first hearing for that case set for April 3.
