Girl group NewJeans' agency ADOR terminated its exclusive contract with member Danielle, and will also take legal measures against the singer's family, who "provoked the string of events regarding the legal dispute," along with former CEO Min Hee-jin, according to the HYBE subsidiary on Monday.

The news came a month and a half after ADOR announced that singers Haerin and Hyein decided to end their strife with ADOR and return to the agency. Following the news, the three remaining members — Minji, Hanni and Danielle — also announced that they would be returning to ADOR.


However, ADOR said that they had not reached an agreement with the three other members and said they were still in talks. In Monday's announcement, ADOR clarified that member Hanni will return to the company, and Minji is still in talks, but in a positive manner "to expand the mutual understanding between the two parties."

However, the HYBE subsidiary took a firm stance against Korean-Australian member Danielle.

"We decided that it would be difficult for Danielle to continue both as a member of NewJeans and an artist at ADOR, and we have notified her that the contract has been terminated," said ADOR in a press release.

"We will take legal measures against a member of Danielle's family and former CEO Min Hee-jin, who holds grave responsibility not only in our conflict between NewJeans, but also in the members' delayed return to the agency."

The company "found out that the members had been fed continuous and twisted information about the company over an extended period of time," which was the core reason for the conflict, according to the agency.

"However, we agreed that we would need to take the chance to sort out all misunderstandings, even if it takes a long time, in order to fully restore the love from the fans and the public," the agency said.

The company will explain the details of the whole conflict in full in a separate event. The date and method will be announced later, according to ADOR.

NewJeans debuted to much fanfare as a quintet in 2022 under HYBE's label ADOR, then helmed by former CEO Min. However, after a high-profile feud between Min and HYBE erupted in April last year, the members claimed in November that their exclusive contracts with ADOR were null and void, claiming a breach of contract by the label. In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit seeking to confirm the validity of the contracts.

After almost a year of litigation, a Seoul court ruled in favor of ADOR in October. Following the ruling, the agency announced on Nov. 12 that the group's two youngest members — Haerin and Hyein — would return to uphold their exclusive contracts.

The three remaining members later issued a separate statement through their legal representative, saying that they would likewise return to the agency. But ADOR said then it had yet to confirm their return, stating that it was holding separate discussions with the three members.

Following the members' announcement, Min expressed support for their decision while emphasizing the importance of unity, saying, "Whatever happens, I believe NewJeans should remain whole with all five members.”

Updated, Dec. 29, 2025: Clarified HYBE's intent to take legal action against a single family member of Danielle's, added background information from the group's debut to the present.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]