ON May 30thTHE The 52nd civil division of the Seoul district court approved Ador’s Application of indirect application, decreeing that the independent activities of the women’s group have violated a previously granted injunction.
The court declared it Newjeans performed with a new group name (“Njz”) and even published a song, both before and after the injunction order issued in March 2025. Citing the “probability of continuous violations”, the Court introduced a Mandatory clauses: a KRW fine (about $ 726,000 of about $ 726,000) per member, for violation. If all five members act together outside Adr’s supervision, the total fine could be equivalent to ₩ 5 billion KRW.
This development derives from the group Unilateral announcement of termination of the contract last Novemberduring which they reported the intentions to operate independently. Ador replied with legal action, ensuring a Injunction of March Excluding the group to sign external ads agreements or promote independently.
While Newjeans Attracted, proceed again with the complex appearance at the end of March, leading to the last application sentence.
Online reactions were quick and ruthless. The famous Koreans were full of comments such as:
- “Didn’t they see him coming?”
- “They brought him to themselves.”
- “Nobody said they can’t perform, do it only through the agency.”
- “I guess they can charge ₩ 2 billion krw per event to cover fines.”
Critics have questioned the group’s legal strategy and financial foresight, with some by speculating it The money of the settlements can now be diverted to legal fees.
Despite the hard judgment, The part of the Newjeans remains cautiously optimisticaffirming, “This indirect application decision is temporary until the injunction appeal is resolved. If the appeal is successful, both the injunction and the effect of loss of the end.”
The group also claims that Ador, based on a new management, is no longer the same entity with which they initially signed. Ador, in turn, rejected the narrative that Newjeans’ success depends exclusively on the former CEO Min Hee-JinAnd he underlined that the group has yet to respect his contractual obligations.
With the Second hearing of the main cause of the contract scheduled for June 5thThis case continues to be one of the most controversial and carefully-carefully in K-pop legal battles.
