Amid a dispute over the exclusive contract between the group NewJeans and its agency ADOR, members Minji and Daniel appeared in court in person, following the court's mediation process. Those who did not reach an agreement at once will undergo mediation again in September.
The mediation date for the lawsuit filed by ADOR against NewJeans to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract was held at the Seoul Central District Court Civil Settlement Division 41 (presided over by Director General Jeong Hoe-il) on the 14th at 2 p.m.
Earlier, during the previous hearing, the court noted, "It seems that people with actual authority should come out," and requested the attendance of the members. Ultimately, members Minji and Daniel attended the mediation held on this day, which proceeded confidentially.
Thus far, NewJeans has claimed that "the trust relationship with ADOR has completely collapsed," and rejected the court's request for an agreement, but it recently stated its willingness to negotiate and mediate. However, the members demanded that the conditions for the agreement be to return to ADOR prior to the appreciation of former CEO Min Hee-jin.
Since the mediation was conducted confidentially, the results produced by both sides remain unclear. The two sides faced each other for about 1 hour and 20 minutes to carry out the mediation process, and the members also left the court without disclosing any particular position.
Meanwhile, their mediation date will again take place on September 11. Ultimately, on the mediation date held today (14th), both sides failed to reach an agreement. If mediation fails again in September, a verdict from the court is expected to be announced on October 30.
On the other hand, NewJeans is currently in a state of suspension. In March, the Seoul Central District Court granted the injunction filed by ADOR against the five members of NewJeans, preventing them from conducting independent activities. The members immediately protested and filed an objection, but the court dismissed it. The members' appeal was also unsuccessful.
Additionally, if the members continue their entertainment activities independently without ADOR due to indirect coercion, they must pay ADOR 1 billion won for each violation. If they conduct independent activities as NewJeans, a total of 5 billion won will be payable to ADOR.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]