Speculation is growing that Minji may be returning to NewJeans after ADOR publicly acknowledged the idol for the first time since the group’s contract dispute began.
On May 7th, ADOR shared a birthday post for Minji on NewJeans’ official social media accounts, writing, “HAPPY MINJI DAY,” alongside photos of cookies personally baked by the singer.
The cookies were the same ones Minji recently handed out to fans while visiting a birthday café event celebrating her special day. Notably, this marked the first time ADOR publicly mentioned Minji through NewJeans’ official accounts since the fallout surrounding former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.
Back in November 2024, all five NewJeans members claimed their exclusive contracts with ADOR had been violated and announced the termination of their agreements before beginning independent activities. However, the group later lost the first round of a lawsuit filed by ADOR seeking confirmation that the exclusive contracts remained valid. The members reportedly did not appeal the ruling and later began expressing intentions to return to the agency one by one.
Danielle, however, appears to remain excluded from the group’s future activities. In December of the same year, ADOR notified Danielle that the company could no longer continue with her as a member of NewJeans and later filed a damages lawsuit worth 43.1 billion KRW (approximately 30 million USD) against Danielle, one of her family members and Min Hee Jin.
Meanwhile, Haerin, Hyein and Hanni have reportedly finalized their return to ADOR, while Minji is still said to be discussing the specific terms of her return.
As a result, fans have been closely watching whether NewJeans will move forward as a four-member or three-member group. While ADOR had largely remained silent on the matter until now, the company’s large-scale birthday celebration for Minji on the group’s official account has led many fans to believe her return is now “essentially confirmed.”
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UPDATE:
ADOR told MHN Sports on May 7th regarding Minji’s future activities, “We are continuing internal discussions regarding her upcoming activities. While we do not have a specific statement to provide at this time, discussions are generally moving forward in a positive direction.”
>> NewJeans to Appeal ADOR Contract Ruling, Say They Cannot Go Back
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