NewJeans, which had said, "We respect the court's decision," noted in an interview with Time magazine in the U.S. that "the court's ruling is disappointing." The main lawsuit confirming the validity of the exclusive contract has become even more important.

The five members of NewJeans held an emergency press conference on Nov. 28 last year and declared the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR. They stated that ADOR has no intention or ability to protect them and that it has not taken any actions to correct the situation conveyed through a written notice. Meanwhile, ADOR filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court to legally confirm that the exclusive contract remains valid against the members' declaration of termination.

In response, the NewJeans members cited concerns about a production gap due to the dismissal of former CEO Min Hee-jin, remarks from then-CEO Park Ji-won stating that they would give NewJeans members a long vacation, disputes between director Shin Woo-seok and ADOR, a phrase in HYBE's May 10, 2023, music report stating that "it would be fine to discard New and create a new plan," attempts to undermine NewJeans' uniqueness by the group ILY:1 under Belift Lab, an incident where NewJeans member Hanni heard a manager from Belift Lab tell her to "ignore it," and the leakage of photos and videos from the members’ trainee days as their claims.

However, on the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 50 (Chief Judge Kim Sang-hoon) accepted and ruled on the temporary injunction filed by ADOR against the five members of NewJeans regarding the "protection of agency status and prohibition of advertising contracts." The ruling stated that they should not engage in entertainment activities on their own (including through legal representatives) or through third parties without prior approval or consent from ADOR.

The court judged that, "Based only on the claims and materials submitted by the debtor (the five members of NewJeans), it is difficult to find sufficient evidence that the creditor (ADOR) violated the important obligations of the exclusive contract in this case, thereby giving rise to grounds for termination or that the trust relationship between the parties was irreparably harmed."

In response, ADOR stated, "We deeply appreciate the wise judgment of the injunction court. As ADOR has legally confirmed its status as the agency for NewJeans, we will fulfill our responsibilities in supporting the artists. ADOR hopes to meet with the artists soon and have an honest conversation," adding that they would fully embrace the five members of NewJeans.

Despite this, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein indicated through the NJZ social media channel that "We at NJZ respect the court's decision. However, we believe the decision fails to adequately consider that the members' trust in ADOR has completely broken down," stating, "We once again convey that we cannot continue with a company that has insulted our personalities and belittled our achievements, irrespective of financial matters," maintaining their intention to escape from ADOR.

In an interview published by Time magazine, the members of NewJeans expressed, "We were disappointed with the court's ruling, but we did not expect the problems in the K-pop industry to change overnight. Compared to everything we have experienced, this is just another stage in our journey. This is the reality in Korea. However, that is why we believe change and growth are necessary. It seems Korea wants to make us revolutionaries."

While the members of NewJeans had stated, "We respect the court's decision" in the country, they did not hide their discomfort in the interview with Time magazine, stating, "We were disappointed with the court's ruling" and, "It seems Korea wants to make us revolutionaries." Additionally, despite the court's decision, they continue to maintain the NJZ name and ongoing activities on Instagram, creating anxiety among observers.

As a result, attention is now focused on the upcoming trial date set for April 3, which will confirm the validity of NewJeans' exclusive contract.

[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS

[OSEN]