The girl group "NewJeans" announced that they have changed their team name to "NJZ" and will appear in a concert in Hong Kong in March, marking their first official activity. This was a declaration of the group's "re-debut" following their debut through the song "Attention" with ADOR (a major subsidiary of HYBE) in 2022.
NewJeans has been continuing their independent activities after unilaterally declaring the termination of their exclusive contract with ADOR on Nov. 28 last year.
Amidst this, interpretations have arisen that the expiration of foreign member Hanni's E-6 visa has led to the ban on full group entertainment activities in Korea, prompting them to move their stage to Hong Kong.
ADOR is currently pursuing a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract with the members of NewJeans. They are maintaining that the contract is still valid by applying for an injunction against the continuation of their status as an agency and the signing of advertising contracts.
According to the industry on the 11th, Hanni, who holds dual citizenship in Australia and Vietnam, was reported to have had her E-6 visa issued through ADOR expire earlier in February.
While ADOR claims the contract is valid and prepared documents for Hanni's visa extension, it is speculated that NewJeans, who officially completed their official schedule through ADOR on Jan. 4, did not accept this as they have already formalized their independent activities.
NewJeans said in January while soliciting new activity names, "There's absolutely no way we'll return to HYBE and ADOR, where we cannot even expect minimal trust."
In this situation, NewJeans revealed their new team name and photos through their official social media on the 7th. They also announced their participation in 'ComplexCon,' a global street fashion and culture festival being held at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong from March 21 to 23.
On the same day, member Minji stated during a live broadcast on NJZ's official social media, "We will unveil our new song and debut track on March 23, the last day of ComplexCon." HAEIN noted, "Don't worry too much as an agency will be established soon." Hanni was also present during the broadcast.
They are continuing their entertainment activities through official social media without revealing a new agency. If member Hanni has already obtained a new E-6 visa through a new agency or is in the process of issuance, all of this would be illegal. It appears that reports of suspected violations of immigration laws regarding Hanni's visa expiration have been submitted in fan communities.
To obtain a new visa through a new agency without a visa expiration, consent from the previous agency is necessary, whereas no consent is needed if the visa has expired. ADOR has stated that it cannot confirm information regarding Hanni's visa expiration deadline or transfer consent.
The Ministry of Justice, in response to inquiries from ChosunBiz, explained, "The expiration status of a specific foreigner (Hanni)'s E-6 visa, changes in residence status, or extension application is classified as personal information, so it is difficult to provide a response," adding, "If an E-6 visa expires without obtaining approval for visa change or extension, it results in a state of illegal residence."
However, it added that "if applications for a change of residence status or extension are submitted to the relevant immigration office before the expiration of the residence period and are under review by the immigration office, even if the residence period has passed, it is not considered illegal residency as it is 'under application.'"
Some interpretations suggest that moving the first independent activity stage to Hong Kong was to buy time for visa issuance necessary for full group activities. A legal expert remarked, "The lawsuit with the agency ADOR is still ongoing, and depending on the outcome, it may be possible to restore the contract either through restoration to its original state or through monetary compensation such as damages."