Court Rejects New Jeans’ Appeal
On Wednesday (April 16), the Central District Seoul dismissed the appeal filed by New Jeans, aimed at canceling the lawsuit that restricts the K-POP group from engaging in activities without consent from their management agency, Ador.
The court reaffirmed on March 21 that its ruling in favor of Ador was “valid,” maintaining the order that prevents members Minji, Hannie, Daniel, Harin, and Hayin from pursuing solo or group endeavors without approval from Ador.
According to a report by Korea Joongang Daily, this effectively prohibits the members from working independently, whether individually, through legal guardians, or via third-party arrangements.
Legal Developments and Group Response
Following this latest setback, the group’s legal team swiftly filed an appeal at Seoul’s High Court. Koreibu reported on this development.
“Today marks a court-imposed prohibition,” stated Koreibu. “We will actively engage in ongoing legal proceedings and do everything possible to ensure that the facts are clearly established.”
This situation highlights the escalating conflict between the K-Pop group and Ador, which started in November when New Jeans publicly announced their intention to terminate their exclusive contract with Ador during an emergency press conference on November 28.
During that announcement, the group cited eight unresolved issues they had previously raised with leadership, asserting that the agency had failed to address these concerns by the end of November 13.
“Remaining with the agency will only prolong our psychological distress and waste our time,” said Hannie from New Jeans during the press conference, as quoted by Joongang Daily.
Continued Legal Disputes
This led Ador to file a lawsuit in December to validate their exclusive contracts with the New Jeans members. Subsequently, in January, Ador sought a preliminary court injunction to prevent the group from engaging in independent activities without the agency’s approval.
In February, New Jeans rebranded themselves as NJZ and opened their own social media accounts after their announcement in December. Following the name change, the court mandated that the group cease independent activities and return to working with Ador, stating that there was insufficient evidence to support the claims made by New Jeans members, according to Korea Joongang Daily.
The resolution prompted New Jeans to announce an indefinite hiatus shortly after their concert in Hong Kong. During this event, the members performed as NJZ rather than as New Jeans.
In a recent legal clash regarding the contract validity, Ador and New Jeans appeared in court earlier this month, where the agency disclosed that it continued to make payments to the members despite their attempts to terminate the exclusive contract. During the hearing, New Jeans’ legal team argued that Min Hi Jin, the previous CEO of Ador, had transformed the current setup of “Ador” into a “different entity” from the one they originally worked with.
Just this Wednesday, Yonhap News reported that the objections filed by all five group members against the March decision were dismissed.
“Even taking into account the claims and supporting materials emphasized by New Jeans members in this appeal, after reviewing the records, it is clear that the judicial prohibition decision is justified,” the judge stated, as quoted by SOOMPI.
