The five members of New JeansMinji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein have completed most of the program initially planned with ADOR. Since the company was notified of the termination of the exclusivity contracts, no new programs have been agreed.
The members of NewJeans are now faced with a “dilemma”. If they choose to continue their operations, they will no longer be able to use the “NewJeans” name, and if they stop, they will face uncertainty about how long the hiatus might last. If they continue with the activities, they risk increased fines due to the potential breach of contract. For the five members, this situation presents significant legal challenges.
According to industry sources, NewJeans has completed most of its scheduled activities with ADOR, including an awards ceremony in Fukuoka, Japan on January 5. While some commercial shoots are still pending, all other schedules have been met. For hours contracted through ADOR, members received support from ADOR staff, including managers.
On November 28 last year, the five members held a press conference in which they announced the unilateral termination of their exclusive contracts with ADOR, declaring that they would respect the scheduled schedules and advertising. Danielle mentioned at the time, “We will not allow the termination of the contract to cause harm to others, we do not want that” and underlined their intention to keep their commitments.
In the following month, the five members continued with their scheduled appearances, including as guests at Japanese duo YOASOBI’s concert and other year-end awards events. However, during their appearance on CBS’s “Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show” on December 25, they faced backlash for proceeding with this program without consulting ADOR. ADOR responded by stating that the artists made the decision independently, without the company’s knowledge.
“Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show” is a program that former ADOR representative Min Hee-jin previously participated in, and NewJeans appeared on the show under their individual names rather than as NewJeans, subtly highlighting their independent actions. Minji even wore a “Min Hee-jin T-shirt,” which attracted attention and criticism.
An insider revealed to Ten Asia that several managers who left ADOR supported NewJeans’ independent operations. “Although there is no official ADOR staff, it appears that a separate team has been assembled to support them,” the source said.
With the completion of most of the contractually mandated activities with ADOR, the future actions of the five members are under intense scrutiny. Industry experts said: “Any future activity by NewJeans could be considered a breach of contract. Although NewJeans claims to have terminated the contract, the positions of ADOR and the members are very different and, since the legal issue has not been resolved, the next steps are crucial.
The expert also warned “As cases of breach of contract accumulate, the fines NewJeans faces could increase. Members find themselves in a situation where they may not be able to avoid a lawsuit and the risk of sanctions is significant.”
Hanni, a member of both Vietnamese and Australian nationality, says her contract with ADOR has ended. However, he used an E-6 (Entertainment) visa issued by ADOR and only completed a Japanese program on January 5. If she insisted that her contract had expired, she would be considered an illegal resident and would have to return her visa and leave Korea. . You will then need to apply for a new visa through another agency, which could take at least three months. This situation may make full group activities impossible for the NewJeans for the time being.
