NewJeans Members' Independent Activities Halted by Court Ruling

The independent activities of the NewJeans members, who have been asserting the termination of their exclusive contracts, have been blocked. A recent court ruling favored Ador's request for a temporary injunction, restricting their activities under the new group name NJZ. This decision means that upcoming performances and the release of new songs as NJZ are now off the table, causing significant disruption to their plans.

On March 14, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Ador's application for a 'provisional injunction to maintain the status of the agency and prohibit the signing of advertising contracts' against the five NewJeans members (Minji, Hani, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein). The court determined that, given the ongoing dispute over their exclusive contracts with Ador, the members should not engage in independent activities.

As a result of the court's decision, the five members of NewJeans are now unable to proceed with their activities as NJZ. Previously, they had announced their new group name NJZ after soliciting suggestions from fans last month. Despite the unresolved issues with Ador, they had begun the process of establishing their new identity, including applying for a new logo and trademark.

The members had also started to carve out their independent path, recently being included in the lineup for 'ComplexCon Hong Kong,' which will take place from March 21 to 23 at AsiaWorld-Expo. The event organizers had generated buzz by announcing the participation of 'NJZ (formerly NewJeans).'

Member Minji expressed her excitement, stating, "I am very much looking forward to taking the stage as NJZ and showing a new side of ourselves. This performance is a significant moment, and I can't wait to share the new music we've been wanting to present with fans around the world."

Additionally, they announced during a live broadcast with fans that they plan to release their debut song as NJZ on March 23. Despite the ongoing legal battle with Ador, they are moving forward with their independent activities. However, with the court's ruling against independent activities, there is growing interest in how they will respond to this setback.

The five members of NewJeans held an emergency press conference on November 28 last year, declaring that Ador had violated their exclusive contract obligations. Following this, they completed their scheduled commitments before departing from Ador to pursue their independent path as NJZ. In response, Ador filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract, which the court has now upheld, indicating that the legal disputes are likely to continue in the main lawsuit.