South Korean girl group NewJeans has issued a legal warning to its agency, ADOR, stating it will terminate its exclusive contract if the agency does not comply with specific demands, including the reinstatement of former CEO Min Hee-jin.
According to industry sources, all five members—Kim Min-ji, Hanni Pham, Marsh Danielle, Kang Hae-rin, and Lee Hye-in—sent an official certification of contents to ADOR in their legal names. The document stipulates that the members requested rectification of all significant breaches of their exclusive contract within 14 days from the receipt of the letter.
The members expressed their desire for ADOR to revert to the management style under which Min Hee-jin oversaw both the company and NewJeans’ creative direction. They requested that Min be reinstated to manage ADOR and produce NewJeans as before, recalling their time with ADOR up to Mar. 2024 as a period when they worked together with Min in a happy and creative environment. The group conveyed that they missed the days when they dreamed about presenting new music, performances, and creative projects alongside her.
In a further allegation, NewJeans referenced a recent report confirmed during S. Korea’s National Assembly inspection of HYBE, ADOR’s parent company.
The group pointed to a phrase in HYBE’s recent industry report, noting that it mentioned enduring a few days of discussion around “NewAr” (a term referring to NewJeans, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM) but suggested they could simply start fresh by leaving “New” behind. NewJeans interpreted this as a suggestion that HYBE was specifically considering abandoning NewJeans, which they felt was disrespectful to their work and partnership with ADOR.
“If ADOR does not meet our demands, we intend to terminate our exclusive contract,” NewJeans continued. The members also addressed circulating rumors involving their families and acquaintances, asserting that they have no connection to these baseless claims and that they will firmly respond to those spreading false information aimed at defaming them.
HYBE previously filed a lawsuit against Min Hee-jin on Apr. 25, accusing her of breach of duty, and subsequently removed her from the CEO position in August. Following her departure, HYBE appointed Kim Ju-young, former Chief Human Resources Officer, as ADOR’s new CEO.
In response to this, NewJeans hosted an urgent live broadcast on September, calling for Min’s reinstatement. They appealed for ADOR to return to its original structure with Min Hee-jin overseeing both management and production.
Although Min Hee-jin requested reinstatement, ADOR’s board opted to extend her role as an internal director and confirmed her involvement in producing NewJeans. However, they declined to reinstate her as CEO.
