The court’s injunction prohibiting NewJeans members from engaging in independent activities has been finalized.
According to legal insiders on June 25th, the five members of NewJeans did not file an appeal by the June 24th deadline against the appellate court’s decision to uphold an earlier injunction. In Korea, objections to injunction rulings must be filed within one week of receiving official notice of the decision.
Earlier, the Seoul High Court dismissed their appeal against the court’s injunction approval on the 17th. This means that both the objection and appeal filed by NewJeans members after the court fully approved ADOR’s injunction application in March were dismissed.
The appellate court dismissed the members’ argument that their exclusive contracts were effectively voided when HYBE removed Min Hee Jin from her CEO position at ADOR. The judges stated, “Min Hee Jin, starting in 2023, began expressing dissatisfaction with the terms of the shareholder agreement, seeking to revise it, and attempted to separate from HYBE’s control by taking NewJeans with her—or establish her own control over ADOR,” adding, “Her actions can be seen as undermining the foundation of the integrated structure between ADOR, herself, and the members that achieved great success.”
The court also rejected other arguments made by NewJeans—like how a manager told others to “ignore” Hanni or how ADOR copied their concepts—reaffirming the lower court’s stance that these claims lacked sufficient basis. “If the members unilaterally exit their exclusive contracts and act independently, they could monopolize the fruits of their success, while ADOR would suffer considerable losses after years of investment,” the court noted.
The judges also dismissed the claim that the injunction violated the members’ rights to work or artistic freedom. “Even with the injunction in place,” the court ruled, “NewJeans can still carry out entertainment activities—so long as they comply with their exclusive contract with ADOR.”
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