NewJeans members Haerin and Hye-in decided to return to their agency ADOR, ushering in a new phase about ten days after the NewJeans members lost the exclusive contract lawsuit.
On the 12th ADOR said in an official statement, "NewJeans members Haerin and Hye-in have expressed their intention to continue activities with ADOR," adding, "after careful consideration with their families and sufficient discussions with ADOR, the two members decided to respect the court's ruling and comply with the exclusive contract."
It added, "ADOR will do its best to ensure Haerin and Hye-in can continue their entertainment activities smoothly," and said, "we politely ask fans for their warm support and to refrain from unfounded speculation about the members."
This development suggests NewJeans may effectively split into a "2:3" structure. Earlier, the Civil Division 41 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Hoe-il) on the 30th of last month ruled in favor of ADOR in ADOR's lawsuit seeking confirmation of the validity of exclusive contracts against the five NewJeans members.
The court said, "It is hard to see that a management vacuum arose for NewJeans because of the dismissal of former CEO Min Hee-jin," and "there is no ground for terminating the exclusive contract."
In response, NewJeans immediately announced their intention to appeal, saying, "The trust with ADOR is completely broken, so return is impossible," drawing a clear line, but the decision by Haerin and Hye-in to return has created a split in internal positions.
Ultimately NewJeans appears to be divided between Haerin and Hye-in, who chose to remain with ADOR, and Min-ji, Hanni and Danielle, who still insist on independence. After the legal ruling, individual members appear to have separated into the choices of returning or pursuing independence while organizing their positions.
After the first-instance ruling, ADOR said, "We fervently hope that the result announced today, after a long period during which many claims and facts were examined and the court once again issued a ruling to the same effect, will serve as an opportunity for the artists to calmly reflect on this matter," and added, "We too will once again reflect on the role and duties required of a management company under an exclusive contract. As we stated during the main trial, we have completed preparations for activities such as releasing a full-length album and are waiting. We will do our best through discussions with the artists to return to the fans."
With Haerin and Hye-in reorganizing with the agency, attention is focused on the future actions of the remaining members and whether the group will be restructured.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]