K-pop band NewJeans set to resume with record label after court loss
SEOUL, South Korea — All five members of K-pop girl group NewJeans said they plan to return to their record label after losing a lengthy legal battle to leave the group over what they say was abuse and harassment.
The band, one of the world’s best-selling acts, announced plans to return to the Ador label in separate statements on Wednesday. Haerin and Hyein confirmed their decision first, followed by the other three members, Danielle, Minji and Hanni, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Last year, NewJeans unilaterally announced its separation from Ador, citing the agency’s alleged failure to protect its members following the firing of Min Hee-jin, Ador’s former general manager and group mentor. Ador has denied the allegations.
Last month, a South Korean court rejected NewJeans’ argument, ruling that its exclusivity contract with Ador remained valid because Min was not CEO. is necessarily part of Ador’s contractual obligations.
Seoul-based Ador confirmed the return of Haerin and Hyein and said it was monitoring the return of the other three members.
“Ador is committed to providing its full support to Haerin and Hyein to ensure the continuity of their artistic endeavors,” the label said in a statement. “We ask for the warm support of fans and respectfully urge you to avoid engaging in unfounded speculation regarding the members.”
Shortly after Ador’s announcement, the three remaining members, Danielle, Minji and Hanni, said they would also return to the label after “cautious consultations,” Yonhap reported.
“One member is currently in Antarctica and our position was therefore adopted late,” they said in a statement. “As Ador is not responding at the moment, we are notifying him individually.”
In March, NewJeans announced a hiatus from all independent activities under their new name “NJZ” during a concert in Hong Kong, to the surprise of fans and supporters around the world. The announcement follows a Seoul court ruling in favor of Ador, which had filed an injunction against the group’s independent activities.
The group said they don’t regret the choice to break up with Ador at all and that they need to “speak out to protect the values” they believe in.
After the court ruling in late October upholding NewJeans’ exclusivity contract with Ador, members said they planned to appeal “immediately.”
“It is impossible to return to Ador and continue normal entertainment activities under the current circumstances, where trust between parties is completely broken,” the group said.
NewJeans, which debuted in 2022, is known for its songs combining pop music and R&B. Billboard named them “one of the most recognized and influential pop groups” of 2023.
He also broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest K-pop group to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify, surpassing K-pop veterans BTS and Blackpink.
