Some parents of NewJeans, who are in a lawsuit to terminate their contract with the agency ADOR, have been revealed to oppose this dispute. This is the first time that disagreement among the parents has been confirmed.
The contract dispute between NewJeans and the agency began in April 2024, stemming from conflict between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin.
Members of NewJeans have claimed that their contract was terminated due to ADOR's failure to fulfill obligations starting from November 29, 2024, and on January 31, 2025, the parents of NewJeans opened social media (SNS) accounts to directly represent the group's position.
On the 4th, the industry reported that during the first hearing of the 'confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contract' held on March 3, 2025, at the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Agreement Division 41, the judge asked the defendant NewJeans, 'Regarding the defendant four,' and confirmed, 'Is this a statement that has approved all litigation activities since the family court's decision on guardianship has been made?'
Currently, among the NewJeans members, two minors are HAEIN and Haerin. This suggests that a disagreement occurred between the parents of one of these individuals concerning guardianship for the exclusive contract termination lawsuit, leading to the interpretation that they even went to court to resolve the issue.
Earlier, on February 7, 2025, a similar mention appeared in a query regarding a provisional disposition to preserve the agency's status at the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Agreement Division 50. At that time, the provisional disposition panel remarked that 'the agent issue needs to be sorted out. Currently, there is a flaw in the litigation agent's authority.'
Minors have their parents jointly represent them in guardianship, and the mention of a flaw in the agent's authority indicates that there is no agreement among the parents regarding the termination of the exclusive contract, suggesting that this issue needs resolution.
At that time, the lawyer from the law firm Sejong representing NewJeans stated, 'There was a hearing date (family court) yesterday, and at least a conclusion will be reached next week,' adding, 'Once a conclusion is reached, I think there will be no special issues to submit.'
The court subsequently stated, 'According to civil procedure law, corrections are to be made, yet up to now, there have been no corrections to the flaws.' This implies a situation where there has been no joint guardianship representation for the termination of the exclusive contract due to disagreement among the parents of the minor members.
However, given that it was mentioned in court on March 3, 2025, that 'a decision regarding guardianship has been made, and past litigation activities have been approved,' it can be inferred that the authority of the guardian opposing the lawsuit is limited, and the lawsuit has proceeded according to the opinion of the guardian in favor.
In the meantime, the parents of NewJeans have continuously claimed through SNS and other means that ADOR has failed to fulfill its obligations under the exclusive contract, leading to the conclusion of the contract and asserting that they have no authority to manage or interfere with the members' activities.
However, following the court's rejection of all claims by NewJeans on March 21, 2025, and the acceptance of ADOR's request for a prohibition of activities, it has been confirmed that there are cracks among the parents of the members, who appeared to move as one, suggesting that the ongoing dispute may enter a new phase.