SEOUL, March 21 — The legal dispute between K-pop girl group NewJeans and their agency, Ador, has taken a significant turn, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling in favour of Ador, The Korea Herald reported today.
This means the group is temporarily barred from pursuing independent activities under their newly announced name, NJZ.
NewJeans ended their contracts with Ador in November, citing a breach of exclusivity.
In response, Ador filed an injunction in January, seeking to prevent the group from conducting independent activities and to reaffirm its role as their management agency.
Today, the court granted Ador’s request, ruling that the company remains NewJeans’ legal agency.
The members are now prohibited from entering into advertising contracts or engaging in promotional activities outside of Ador’s oversight.
The court said that while artists can terminate exclusive contracts if trust is irreparably broken, the burden of proof lies with them.
In this case, it found that NewJeans had not provided sufficient evidence to justify their contract termination.
According to The Korea Herald, Ador argued that the group’s success was a result of the company’s extensive support and resources.
It also contended that the members’ decision to rebrand as NJZ and seek a new agency while still contractually bound constituted a breach of their agreement.
NewJeans’ legal representatives countered that Ador’s parent company, Hybe, had failed to provide the group with the same level of support as other affiliated artists.
They further argued that Ador, which is majority-owned by Hybe, was not making independent decisions and was therefore also responsible for Hybe’s actions.
However, the court dismissed this argument, concluding that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Ador had violated any fundamental obligations under the contract or that trust between the parties had been irreparably damaged.
With this ruling, NewJeans’ attempts to operate independently have been put on hold.
Further legal proceedings are expected as the dispute continues to unfold.
