Provided by ADOR

ADOR, the agency that has been in an exclusive contract dispute with members of the girl group NewJeans, said it has notified NewJeans member Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract and filed a lawsuit seeking contractual penalty and damages. Another NewJeans member, Hanni, has decided to return to the agency.

ADOR said on the 29th, “We determined that it is difficult to continue together with Danielle as a NewJeans member and ADOR artist, and today we notified her of the termination of her exclusive contract,” and explained, “Hanni has decided to continue with ADOR in respect of the court’s ruling.”

ADOR also said that on the same day it submitted a complaint to the Seoul Central District Court against Danielle seeking contractual penalty and damages. However, it did not disclose details such as the amount claimed or the grounds attributable to Danielle. ADOR also signaled legal action against a member of Danielle’s family and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who are not parties to the exclusive contracts.

ADOR added, “We plan to hold legally accountable one member of Danielle’s family and former CEO Min Hee-jin, who bear significant responsibility for triggering the dispute and for NewJeans’ departure and delayed return.”

Previously, the NewJeans members demanded, among other things, the reinstatement of former CEO Min Hee-jin, who was dismissed amid conflict with HYBE. When that was not accepted, they claimed in November last year that their contracts had been terminated due to ADOR’s breach of the exclusive contract.

ADOR maintained that the contracts with NewJeans remained valid, filed a lawsuit in December of the same year seeking confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contracts, and also filed for an injunction to block the members’ independent activities until a ruling in the main case. The court sided with ADOR in both the injunction case and the first trial.

Subsequently, members Haerin and Hyein expressed their intention to return to the agency last month, followed by Hanni, Minji, and Danielle indicating they would also return.

With ADOR notifying Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract, a five-member ‘full-group return’ by NewJeans has effectively fallen through, while Minji is continuing discussions with the agency.

ADOR said, “Minji is also in dialogue with ADOR, and we are continuing discussions to broaden mutual understanding.”

ADOR explained that since the members announced their return, it has continued talks and has been working through a process to correct the facts entangled in the dispute. It also stated that it intends to provide explanations later regarding the controversies that arose during the dispute.

ADOR said, “We learned that the members, having listened to distorted and biased information over a long period, developed many misunderstandings about the company, which ultimately led to the dispute,” and added, “We agreed that, even if it takes time, a process to fully resolve the misunderstandings based on accurate facts is necessary.”

It further added, “We have also agreed to have an opportunity later to address the various controversies that occurred, and we are discussing the timing and manner.”

The following is the full text of ADOR’s statement regarding the return of NewJeans members

[ADOR] We would like to inform you regarding the return of NewJeans members.

Since the finalization of the judgment in the lawsuit confirming the validity of the exclusive contracts, ADOR has had many conversations with Minji, Hanni, Danielle, and the families of the three members.

Hanni visited Korea with her family and had in-depth conversations with ADOR over an extended period. In that process, we revisited past events and took time to view the issues objectively. After candid discussions, Hanni decided to continue with ADOR in respect of the court’s ruling.

Minji is also in dialogue with ADOR, and we are continuing discussions to broaden mutual understanding.

In Danielle’s case, we determined that it is difficult to continue together with her as a NewJeans member and ADOR artist, and today we notified her of the termination of her exclusive contract. In addition, we plan to hold legally accountable one member of Danielle’s family and former CEO Min Hee-jin, who bear significant responsibility for triggering the current dispute and for NewJeans’ departure and delayed return.

During our conversations, we learned that the members, having continuously listened to distorted and biased information over a long period, developed many misunderstandings about the company, which ultimately led to the dispute. The company and the artists agreed that, even if it takes some time, a process based on accurate facts is necessary to completely resolve the misunderstandings and regain the love of fans and the public. We also agreed to have an opportunity later to address the various controversies that arose during the dispute, and we are discussing the timing and manner.

ADOR will do its best to bring the matter to an amicable conclusion and to ensure that NewJeans can return to fans as soon as possible.