NewJeans announced that they would not return to their agency, ADOR, now that its former CEO, Min Hee Jin, has been fired, according to a court hearing on July 24th. The hearing was part of an ongoing legal battle over the group’s contract with the agency.
In a petition submitted to the Seoul Central District Court, the members described their severe emotional distress. “Telling us to go back to ADOR now is like telling a victim of school bullying to return to the classroom with their bully,” they stated, adding, “The current management at ADOR is not genuinely listening to us.”
NewJeans’ representatives argued that the members were neglected and left unprotected during the very public feud between ADOR’s parent company, HYBE, and former CEO Min Hee Jin. They revealed that the situation has taken a serious toll on the members’ mental health, stating that they experience psychological distress just being near the HYBE headquarters and are struggling so much that they require medication for depression.
However, the group left the door open for a potential return, but only under one condition: “We can go back if ADOR is run the way it was before April 2024,” when Min Hee Jin was still in charge.
ADOR’s current management fired back with their own accusations, claiming that Min Hee Jin was behind the move to break the group’s contract. They alleged that she had been “plotting to poach NewJeans for the last three years” and that her public accusations—such as claiming that another HYBE group, ILLIT, had plagiarized NewJeans—were all part of her plan.
With both sides far apart, the court has ordered them into a formal mediation process. The session will be held in private and is scheduled for August 14th.
>> HYBE and Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin Return to Court for Third Hearing
