Legal Battle Between NewJeans and ADOR Ends in Deadlock, Court to Decide

The negotiations between K-pop group NewJeans and their label ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE, have ultimately fallen through.

On the 11, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Agreement Division 41, led by Judge Jeong Hoe-il, held the second mediation session for the lawsuit filed by ADOR to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract with the five members of NewJeans. The session lasted 20 minutes, starting at 1:30 PM.

Despite efforts to resolve the legal dispute, including a first mediation session on August 14, both parties failed to reach an agreement, resulting in a deadlock. Consequently, the court will now deliver a verdict on October 30.

The conflict began in November last year when NewJeans declared the termination of their exclusive contract, accusing ADOR of contract violations, and attempted to pursue independent activities. In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit to confirm the contract's validity and sought injunctions to maintain their status as the group's agency and to prevent NewJeans from signing advertising contracts. The court granted these requests.

During the third hearing last month, NewJeans' representatives compared the situation to "a father who committed domestic violence kicking out the mother and then telling the child who left, 'I'll find you a better mom, so come back.'" The members also submitted a petition stating that "being told to return to ADOR is like telling a school violence victim to go back to where the perpetrator is."

Meanwhile, ADOR has extended an olive branch, inviting NewJeans to return and work together. However, they remain firm in their refusal to meet NewJeans' primary demand for the return of Min Hee-jin.