Photo Credit: NewJeans for TV10 / CC by 3.0
K-pop group NewJeans announce their return to record label ADOR following their prolonged legal dispute over their contracts.
After a lengthy legal dispute over their contracts, K-pop girl group NewJeans has agreed to return to record label ADOR, which is an imprint of K-pop juggernaut Hybe.
ADOR announced to the press that NewJeans members Hyein and Haerin had “decided to respect the court’s latest ruling and adhere to their exclusive contracts.” The group’s other members—Hanni, Danielle, and Minji—confirmed they would also be returning to the label. The latter three said their decision was made “after careful discussion.”
“ADOR is committed to providing its full support to [NewJeans] to ensure the seamless continuation of their artistic endeavors,” ADOR’s statement continued. “We request the warm support from the fans and respectfully urge you to avoid engaging in unfounded speculation regarding the members.”
NewJeans first announced their intention to split from their label last year, after ADOR’s dismissal of chief executive and the group’s mentor, Min Hee-jin. NewJeans members accused the label of mistreatment, alleging several instances of workplace harassment.
During this time, NewJeans also attempted to rebrand themselves as “NJZ” in an effort to skirt around their exclusivity deal with ADOR. But a Seoul court ruled that the group had failed to prove significant negligence had taken place, and that performances outside of their deal with ADOR were in violation of their contracts.
Then, at a concert last March, the group announced they would be pausing all band activities indefinitely. A few months later, a South Korean high court ruled, in a decision upheld by the Seoul district court just last month, that NewJeans would be required to honor its seven-year contract with ADOR, which extends through 2029. The group planned to appeal the decision, the deadline for which was this week; it is unclear if NewJeans filed an appeal.
News of NewJeans’ intention to return to the agency “was relayed late” due to one member currently being in Antarctica, “but as ADOR is not responding at the moment, we are inevitably announcing this through a separate statement,” the group announced. “We will continue greeting you with sincere music and performances,” they added, addressing their fans.
Formed in July 2022, NewJeans’ dramatic fallout with their agency was sparked by the controversial dismissal of Min Hee-jin, which sent shockwaves through the K-pop industry last year.
