Lawyer Lee Hyun-gon, a former judge, advised NJZ to reconsider their legal strategy regarding NewJeans, which has had its independent activities impeded by the court. In contrast, lawyer Ko Sang-rok, known as a 'true fan of NewJeans,' criticized NewJeans, creating a contrast.
Lawyer Lee Hyun-gon stated on his personal social media account on the 23rd, "I reviewed the provisional decision and noted that there are regrets regarding the court's judgment. However, I would like NJZ's legal team to reconsider their legal strategy once more."
Lawyer Lee Hyun-gon said, "This case should not be a lawsuit questioning the grounds for contract termination. Once the case falls into murky waters, it becomes impossible to discern responsibility. And ADOR handles such legal arguments very well," adding, "The important point is that the trust relationship between ADOR and NJZ has irreparably broken down, and this fact can only be proven. This is because case law recognizes the destruction of a trust relationship as grounds for contract termination."
He continued, "If you focus on determining responsibility, the case may sink into a swamp, and responsibility cannot be clearly revealed in murky waters. However, this is a case that does not require that," adding, "This is not an overstepping advice but simply a suggestion. The important thing is that NJZ does not lose its identity in the meantime."
Lawyer Lee Hyun-gon has gained attention for his supportive posts regarding NewJeans. On the 21st, he shared an article noting that the court accepted ADOR's provisional injunction request and added a crying emoticon, and on the 7th, he commented that it seems there is no need to worry about the provisional injunction ADOR had filed. Particularly, last October, he filed a lawsuit against ADOR and HYBE on behalf of the NewJeans fandom, Bunnies.
The advice from Lawyer Lee Hyun-gon that the case should not be one questioning the grounds for contract termination, and that determination of responsibility could lead the case to sink into a swamp, caused some netizens to tilt their heads. This is because NewJeans has been unilaterally declaring contract termination with ADOR citing trust breakdown. Particularly, the fact that the court that accepted the provisional injunction did not recognize most of NewJeans’s claims also became a point of criticism.
According to the ruling document, the court identified the following matters: ▲ the production gap due to the dismissal of ADOR's CEO Min Hee-jin ▲ comments made by HYBE's CEO Park Ji-won that he would give 'long vacations' to Kim Min-ji and others ▲ the disputes between director Shin Woo-seok of Dolphin Kidnapper and ADOR ▲ the mention of 'it would be fine to discard New and create a new strategy' in HYBE's music industry report dated May 10, 2023 ▲ the violation of NewJeans's uniqueness and the mention of it in connection with ILY's belonging to Belift Lab ▲ Hanni hearing the comment 'ignore' from a Belift Lab manager ▲ the leakage of photos and videos from the trainee days of Kim Min-ji and others ▲ comments made by HYBE's PR officer belittling NewJeans's achievements ▲ the devaluation of NewJeans's accomplishments due to HYBE's album pushing practices ▲ comments made by HYBE's Chief Strategy Officer Lee Jae-sang that he was considering 'damaging the brand value of NewJeans and ruining both Min Hee-jin and NewJeans.' The court determined that the current evidence presented by Kim Min-ji and others is insufficient to conclude that ADOR violated the significant duties of the exclusive contract.
In particular, the court stated regarding the 'grounds for termination due to the breakdown of trust relationship' that 'ADOR mostly fulfilled significant obligations under the exclusive contract to Kim Min-ji and others. Given the one-sided termination notice against ADOR provided by Kim Min-ji and others, it seems that ADOR was unable to perform its management duties under the exclusive contract. Furthermore, even if ADOR was somewhat lacking in fulfilling its obligations, it cannot be concluded at this stage that the trust relationship, which forms the basis of the exclusive contract, was irreparably damaged due to a lack of correction despite requests for rectification from Kim Min-ji and others.'
While Lawyer Lee Hyun-gon provided advice to NewJeans, lawyer Ko Sang-rok, known as a true fan of NewJeans and a former member of Kim & Chang, made a contrasting comment after witnessing NewJeans's first foreign media interview post-provisional injunction, stating, "It is now time to wake up from the dream."
Lawyer Ko stated, "If one adopts such an attitude right after the court's judgment, it is difficult to avoid criticism of 'are you facing the industry's or company's unfairness by lying and attacking fellow colleagues and demonizing the opponent?' As someone who has ridden on a system created through the hard work of many people, if you truly seek reform, there are certain principles that must be respected," pointing out, "This cannot be done without respect and self-sacrifice towards seniors and colleagues. If you lack the confidence and will and simply wish to do as you please or earn more money, at least you should silently abide by the contract and leave the organization at the right time to manage your own affairs. It is inappropriate to insult and denigrate the system as a means of improving and developing it."
In particular, lawyer Ko Sang-rok remarked, "In light of the evidence submitted by their own lawyer that was favorable to the court, all the lies are revealed. Just clinging to an interview with a foreign media outlet conducted in English, while still pretending to be a warrior will not cover the essence of this matter," adding, "I want to believe this interview conducted in haste, before gathering one’s thoughts after the court’s decision, was a mistake. I hope that at least the minimum standards are maintained so that people, including themselves, can provide assistance."
Meanwhile, NewJeans participated in 'ComplexCon' held in Hong Kong on the 23rd. ADOR stated, "We intend to provide adequate support on-site so that the event proceeds in the name of NewJeans belonging to ADOR. We hope to meet the artist soon and have a candid conversation. We earnestly ask for warm support and encouragement for NewJeans to grow again with ADOR."
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