As ADOR's application for a prohibitory injunction against the five members of NewJeans regarding 'preservation of agency status and prohibition of advertising contract execution' was accepted, the complete contents of the controversial HYBE report were revealed.

On the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 50 (Chief Judge Kim Sang-hoon) accepted ADOR's application for a prohibitory injunction against the five members of NewJeans regarding 'preservation of agency status and prohibition of advertising contract execution' and made a ruling to grant the injunction. The ruling stated that they should not engage in entertainment activities themselves (including through legal representatives) or through third parties without prior approval or consent from ADOR.

The court noted, "Based solely on the claims and materials submitted by the debtors (the five members of NewJeans), it is difficult to conclude that the creditor (ADOR) violated important obligations under the exclusive contract, thus causing grounds for termination or that the trust relationship between the parties has been irreparably destroyed," and did not accept all the evidence presented by the members as factual.

In particular, during the trial that day, the complete contents of the HYBE report were revealed, and the part where former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and the five members claimed, "HYBE was trying to abandon NewJeans and create a new plan," was rebutted.

The court stated, "The report includes a statement that 'it would be fine to abandon NewJeans and create a new plan.' However, this statement is recorded under a section related to another affiliated female idol group (LE SSERAFIM), and based on the context, it seems to have emerged in the process of presenting LE SSERAFIM's success strategy, emphasizing that it is necessary to classify them as 'OOOO' rather than 'NewAR' due to their inability to achieve first place in music charts because of group A, and the fact that group B is closely following behind in album sales.

Furthermore, it was stated, "In the item concerning NewJeans in the report, it is recorded that 'it would be good to have some minor issues that can warm up before NewJeans' comeback' and that there is only general information about NewJeans' musical activities. Rather, it pointed out that 'as competition among girl groups intensifies, NewJeans should be prepared for various ridiculous criticisms during their comeback period.'

It was further noted, "The music industry report dated May 17, 2023, states that 'in the celebrity preference survey, NewJeans is still in first place with 35%. They continue to be a team with high overall popularity, and it seems important to build an unbeatable momentum while making sure to leverage this situation.' From this, it can be concluded that it is difficult to say that the creditor (HYBE) indicated in this report that it would suspend the debtors' activities or would not provide support to them, even if it did not take any action to protest against this report, thus it is also difficult to claim a violation of an important obligation under the exclusive contract.

Meanwhile, after the injunction ruling, the five members of NewJeans expressed their stance through the NJZ SNS channel, stating, "We, NJZ, respect the court's decision. However, this decision does not sufficiently consider that the trust of the members in ADOR has completely collapsed," and emphasized, "We wish to reiterate that we cannot continue with a company that has insulted our personalities and belittled our achievements, separate from any financial issues."

They are facing the first trial of the main lawsuit regarding the validity of the exclusive contract on April 3.

[Photo] OSEN DB

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