The prolonged and bitter dispute between NewJeans and its agency ADOR over the validity of the girl group’s exclusive contract is finally set to be resolved in court next month, after both sides failed to reach a settlement in mediation.

The Seoul Central District Court held a second mediation session on Thursday afternoon in a lawsuit filed by ADOR to confirm the validity of its contract with the five NewJeans members: Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. As with the first session held on Aug. 14, the two sides failed to reach an agreement. The court is scheduled to deliver a ruling on Oct. 30.

The dispute began in November last year when NewJeans claimed that ADOR had violated the terms of its contract and announced its intent to continue activities independently. ADOR filed a lawsuit asserting that the contract remains valid. Earlier in the proceedings, the court partially granted ADOR’s injunction request, restricting the members from pursuing independent activities pending a final decision.

At the heart of the case is whether the exclusive contract is still valid and whether legitimate grounds for termination exist.

ADOR argues that the contract remains in effect and that there are no grounds for termination, citing a 21 billion won ($15.1 million) investment from its parent company HYBE to support NewJeans and claims of transparent revenue settlement.

“The exclusive contract is built on a foundation of trust between business partners, and there is no situation that warrants the destruction of that trust,” ADOR stated.

NewJeans counters that the current leadership at ADOR — replaced by HYBE executives following the ouster of former CEO Min Hee-jin — no longer reflects the company it originally signed with.

“Trust has completely broken down over the course of this lengthy legal battle,” the group’s representatives said.

With both mediation attempts ending without a resolution, the case will now be decided by the court. The October ruling is expected to have major implications for NewJeans’ future activities and ADOR’s management trajectory.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]