NewJeans Members' Appeal Against Court Ruling Denied

The members of the K-pop group NewJeans (뉴진스) have faced a setback as their appeal against a court ruling prohibiting them from engaging in independent entertainment activities has been rejected by the Seoul High Court. On June 17, the court's Civil Division 25, presided over by Judge Hwang Byeong-ha, dismissed the members' request to overturn the previous decision that granted a provisional injunction to their agency, Ador (어도어), preventing the group from signing advertising contracts without prior approval.
The dispute arose after Ador dismissed former CEO Min Hee-jin in August 2024. Following this, the members demanded her reinstatement, but when their requests were ignored, they notified Ador in November 2024 of their intention to terminate their exclusive contracts, citing a breakdown of trust due to the agency's breach of contractual obligations.
Subsequently, the members changed their group name from NewJeans to NJZ and began signing advertising contracts independently. In response, Ador filed a lawsuit in January 2025, seeking to halt these independent activities. In March, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Ador, stating that the NewJeans members could not engage in entertainment activities without the agency's prior consent.
Despite the members' attempts to appeal this ruling, the high court upheld the decision on June 17. Additionally, the court ruled that if the members violated this injunction by continuing independent activities, they would be liable to pay Ador 1 billion KRW (approximately $850,000) for each instance of breach until the conclusion of the ongoing lawsuit regarding the validity of their exclusive contracts.
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