Evidence has emerged suggesting that former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin was deeply involved in NewJeans, new activity name NJZ, contract termination declaration.
This supports allegations of “tampering,” which refers to a third party (former CEO Min) contacting artists (NewJeans) without their agency’s (ADOR) consent while they are still under contract. ADOR and NewJeans continue their legal battle over the termination of their exclusive contract, with tampering being cited as one of the major issues disrupting the exclusive contract.
ADOR believes tampering played a role in the sequence of events from NewJeans’ request for corrective measures on November 14th, 2024, to former CEO Min’s resignation on November 20th, and the contract termination announcement a week later. NewJeans declared the termination of their exclusive contract through a press conference on the evening of November 28th.
ADOR also presented additional evidence including messages from former CEO Min’s phone, emails submitted, and claims that were quoted verbatim from a previous case between former CEO Min and ADOR in May 2024.
Termination of an exclusive contract is limited to cases where important contractual obligations have been violated. ADOR claims the company did not violate any important obligations and argues that the termination notice is unjustified. NewJeans cites a breakdown in trust as the reason for termination. On the 7th, all NewJeans members appeared in court in person and stated, “We have absolutely no desire to continue working with ADOR.”
The industry is watching closely to see how tampering will impact this dispute. The five Korean entertainment organizations declared support for ADOR, stating, “If tampering attempts succeed, the ‘entertainment management business,’ which is the core of the K-pop industry, will collapse, and the K-pop industry could be lost to foreign capital.” They also called for government and parliamentary intervention to eradicate tampering.
The first argument date for the lawsuit filed by ADOR to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract is set for the 3rd of next month.
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