NewJeans ADOR Mediation Fails Again—Will the Court Decide the Group’s Fate?
Second settlement attempt ends in deadlock amid exclusive contract dispute
Efforts to reach a settlement between K-pop girl group NewJeans and their agency ADOR have failed once again. With both sides unable to resolve the ongoing legal battle over the group’s exclusive contracts, the case will now proceed to a court ruling.
On September 11 at 1:30 p.m., the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 41 (Presiding Judge Jeong Hoe-il)held the second court-arranged mediation session regarding the exclusive contract validity lawsuit filed by ADOR against the five NewJeans members. The session lasted approximately 20 minutes.
This follows the first mediation on August 14, which also ended without an agreement. With both sessions unsuccessful, the court has announced plans to deliver its final ruling on October 30.
Dispute Over Contract Termination and Independent Activities
NewJeans claims that their exclusive contracts with ADOR were voided in November 2023 due to breach of contractby the agency. Since then, the group has moved to pursue independent activities.
In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit asserting that the contracts are still legally valid and requested a court injunction to prohibit the members from conducting activities outside the agency until the case is resolved.
The court granted the injunction in ADOR’s favor, temporarily restricting the members from participating in promotions without ADOR’s approval.
The key legal questions being contested are whether the exclusive contracts remain valid and whether there are legitimate grounds for termination.
Differing Legal Arguments on Validity and Trust
ADOR maintains that the contracts remain in force and that there is no justifiable reason for termination. The agency argues that the basis of exclusive contracts lies in the business relationship, not in personal trust.
In a prior hearing, ADOR stated:
“This case reflects the change of heart of trainees who, after achieving success as artists, decided to shift course. HYBE invested ₩21 billion in NewJeans and gave them its full support.”
In response to NewJeans members’ argument about broken trust, ADOR added:
“In exclusive contracts, the foundation of trust is built between business partners. ADOR provided the members with consistent performance opportunities and properly managed revenue sharing. There is no factual basis for claiming that trust was broken.”
NewJeans, however, presented a different position:
“Following the removal of Min Hee-jin, ADOR is now led by HYBE-appointed executives. The ADOR we trusted and relied on at the time of signing the contract no longer exists. After nearly 18 months of legal conflict, we’ve lost all confidence in the company.”
📅 With the mediation process now exhausted and both sides maintaining firm positions, the final verdict on October 30could determine not just the validity of a contract—but the future direction of one of K-pop’s most influential groups.
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