The girl group NewJeans, embroiled in a contract dispute with its agency ADOR, has removed all references to its new activity name 'NJZ' from social media.
On 4th, the members of NewJeans changed the Instagram account 'njz_official' to 'mhdhh_friends' and removed the profile picture. All posts on this account were also deleted.
The official SNS account representing the position of NewJeans' parents was also changed to 'mhdhh_pr.' It is presumed that 'mhdhh' is derived from the names of each member: 'm' for Minji, 'h' for Hanni, 'd' for Daniel, 'h' for Haerin, and another 'h' for HAEIN.
The decision by the members to remove the newly designated team name 'NJZ' from SNS is analyzed to be related to a court ruling prohibiting independent activities.
On Oct. 21, the Seoul Central District Court, Civil Division 50, cited the injunction request filed by ADOR, the label of HYBE and the agency of NewJeans, against the five members: Minji, Hanni, Daniel, Haerin, and HAEIN, to preserve the agency's status and prevent the signing of advertising contracts. Consequently, NewJeans is unable to engage in independent activities without consulting ADOR until the first instance result of the main lawsuit is released.
Despite the court's acceptance of ADOR's injunction request, the members of NewJeans attended the 'ComplexCon Hong Kong 2025' held on Oct. 23 at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, performing the new song 'PIT STOP.' During the performance, the team's newly designated name 'NJZ' was displayed on the venue's LED screens, and goods featuring the name 'NJZ' were sold near the venue. Following the performance, the members announced a temporary suspension of activities.
On Nov. 3, the first hearing of the main lawsuit regarding the validity of the exclusive contract filed by ADOR against the members of NewJeans took place at the Seoul Central District Court, Civil Division 41. Although ADOR stated, 'We hope for a settlement,' the NewJeans side replied, 'That does not seem to be the case. Our mental state does not seem to allow for such thoughts.'
The court remarked regarding the claim of a 'breakdown of trust relationship' asserted by the NewJeans side, 'Typically, a breach of trust occurs when there is a definite failure to settle accounts, but this case is unusual, so we will consider how to view the trust relationship in long-term contract management producing.'