Haerin and Hye-in, members of the girl group NewJeans who are in a dispute over their exclusive contracts with their agency ADOR, announced their return.
ADOR issued a statement on the 12th, saying, "After careful consideration with their families and thorough discussions with ADOR, the two members decided to respect the court's ruling and comply with their exclusive contracts." It added, "We will do our best to ensure that Haerin and Hye-in can continue smooth entertainment activities."
The NewJeans members demanded the return of Min Hee-jin, the former ADOR chief who was dismissed over a conflict with HYBE, and other measures, but when those demands were not accepted, they claimed in Nov. last year that their contracts had been terminated due to ADOR's breach of the exclusive contracts. They then moved to pursue independent activities.
ADOR countered that its contracts with NewJeans remained valid and filed a lawsuit in Dec. the same year to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts, along with an injunction request to block the members' independent activities until a ruling on the main case. The court sided with ADOR in both the injunction case and the first trial, and the members' independent activities were banned.
As a result, attention is focusing on the paths of the three remaining NewJeans members, Min-ji, Hanni, and Danielle. The industry is also watching whether NewJeans will pursue unit activities centered on the returning members.