The five members of the girl group NewJeans, who are in an exclusive contract dispute (Haerin, Hye-in, Min-ji, Danielle, Hanni), announced they will return to their agency ADOR. It has been about a year since NewJeans notified ADOR last November that they were terminating their exclusive contracts due to ADOR's fault. In the industry, there is growing expectation that the door has opened for NewJeans' return.
However, the method of return differs by member, ranging from "a return discussed in advance with ADOR" to "a unilateral notice without discussion." Haerin and Hye-in decided to return after prior discussions with their agency ADOR, while Min-ji, Danielle, and Hanni unilaterally notified ADOR of their intention to return without prior consultation. Whether NewJeans will return as a full group or operate as a two-member unit centered on Haerin and Hye-in remains uncertain, depending on whether ADOR accepts the return of the three members Min-ji, Danielle, and Hanni.
At about 5 p.m. on the 12th, ADOR formalized the return of Haerin and Hye-in, saying, "After careful consideration with their families and sufficient discussions with ADOR, the two members decided to respect the court's ruling and abide by the exclusive contract." ADOR added, "We will do our best to ensure the two members can smoothly continue their entertainment activities."
About three hours after Haerin and Hye-in announced their return, Min-ji, Danielle, and Hanni also released a statement saying, "After careful discussions, we decided to return to ADOR."
However, unlike Haerin and Hye-in earlier, the return of Min-ji, Danielle, and Hanni was not an official announcement discussed in advance with ADOR. They said, "One member is currently in Antarctica, so the notice was delayed," and added, "As ADOR has not replied, we were inevitably forced to announce separately."
ADOR is taking a cautious stance, saying it is "verifying the authenticity of the three members' intention to return."
Inside ADOR, there is a sense that it is difficult to immediately accept the three members' declaration of return. The company views it as a unilateral notice of return similar to when NewJeans unilaterally notified of terminating their exclusive contracts last November. It also cannot rule out the possibility that additional conditions may emerge during discussions in the subsequent return process.
In particular, a major factor behind the return declarations by all NewJeans members was ADOR's successive losses in the first-instance rulings on its injunction seeking "preservation of the agency's status and prohibition on signing advertising contracts," and on the lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts. The implication is that this was a compelled return rather than a voluntary one.
If ADOR accepts the return of the three members, NewJeans can resume music activities as a full group. If discussions on the return of the three do not take place, they may operate as a two-member NewJeans unit of Haerin and Hye-in.
Even during the exclusive contract dispute, ADOR maintained the position that "if NewJeans returns, we will fully support their music activities." In July, while the lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts was underway, the company submitted a list of new songs to the court and prepared for a comeback.
The return of former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who nurtured NewJeans, appears virtually impossible. The former CEO is still engaged in lawsuits with HYBE over termination of the shareholders' agreement and matters related to a put option, and the conflict runs deep.
If NewJeans resumes activities in any form—whether as a duo of Haerin and Hye-in or as a full group—it will most likely be under the leadership of ADOR CEO Lee Do-kyung, appointed in August. The current contract between NewJeans and ADOR runs until July 2029.