NewJeans Terminates Contract with ADOR, Expresses Desire to Work with Min Hee-jin

NewJeans has officially announced the termination of their contract with ADOR, effective from midnight on the 29th, citing breaches of contract by both ADOR and its parent company, HYBE. The announcement was made by member Minji during a press conference held on the evening of the 28th in a building in Gangnam, Seoul. This comes after seven months of ongoing disputes between former CEO Min Hee-jin and HYBE.

During the press conference, the members faced reporters for the first time to share their stance. Hani stated, "The reason we are leaving ADOR is simple: they lack the will and ability to protect NewJeans. Continuing with them would be a waste of time and would only lead to further mental distress."

The press conference coincided with the deadline for ADOR's response to a notice sent by the group on the 13th, which warned that they would terminate the contract if certain demands, including the return of former CEO Min Hee-jin, were not met. ADOR sent their response to the members via mail and email just an hour before the press conference.

Minji expressed her disappointment, saying, "I read the email from ADOR and felt it was serious. They show no interest in making improvements and only provide superficial responses. We want to continue our activities with CEO Min Hee-jin in the future. I have no specific comments for Chairman Bang Si-hyuk of HYBE."

The members confirmed that they would continue with scheduled advertisements and activities, asserting that there would be no disruption to their work. They claimed that a lawsuit to suspend the contract was unnecessary, as the contract was automatically terminated due to breaches by HYBE and ADOR. Harin added, "The responsibility lies with HYBE and ADOR, so we believe there is no reason to pay penalties."

Hyein stated, "After midnight, regardless of the will of the five members, we cannot use the name NewJeans. However, we will not give up and will continue to fight for our rights."

The members clarified that they had not yet spoken with CEO Min Hee-jin and that their decision was made after thorough discussions among themselves.

The press conference was announced just two hours prior to its start and was conducted through an external PR agency, indicating that ADOR and HYBE were unaware of the members' plans. Hani expressed concern about potential media manipulation from HYBE or ADOR while they were scheduled to leave for Japan the following morning.

In response to the press conference, ADOR released a statement claiming, "ADOR has not violated the contract, and the assertion of a unilateral breach of trust does not constitute grounds for termination. The exclusive contract remains valid, and we hope to continue our schedule as before with ADOR. We have requested multiple meetings with the members, but they have not materialized. We hope they will open their hearts and meet with us to have an honest conversation."

The event attracted numerous foreign press members and was live-streamed on YouTube, with online comments reflecting a mix of support and concern about the future of the group's activities.