The court is set to deliver its verdict on the exclusive contract dispute between the K-pop group NewJeans and their agency, ADOR. Notably, the members of NewJeans did not attend the hearing.
On the morning of the 30th, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Agreement Division 41, presided over by Judge Jeong Hoi-il, will announce the ruling on the lawsuit filed by ADOR against the five members of NewJeans to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract. Although attendance is not mandatory in civil cases, the NewJeans members had previously attended a provisional injunction hearing in March and the first mediation session in August, where members Minji and Danielle were present. However, they were absent from today's proceedings.
The court had attempted mediation twice in August and September, but both parties failed to reach an agreement, leading to today's final ruling.
The dispute began when NewJeans claimed last year that ADOR had breached their contract, leading to its termination, and announced plans for independent activities. In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit in December to confirm the contract's validity and requested an injunction to prevent the members from pursuing independent activities until the final ruling.
Additionally, in May, the court accepted ADOR's request for indirect enforcement, ordering NewJeans to pay 1 billion KRW per member for each violation if they pursued independent activities.
The main trial focused on the validity of the exclusive contract and the existence of grounds for termination. ADOR argued that the contract remains valid and that they have diligently supported the artists.
Choi Ji-ye, TenAsia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr