SEOUL, April 16, 2025 – A Seoul court has upheld an earlier injunction ruling that bars NJZ—formerly known as NewJeans—from conducting independent activities outside of their management company, ADOR. The ruling was publicly announced today following a closed-door hearing held on April 9.
The Seoul Central District Court reaffirmed its March 21 decision, which prohibited members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein from signing advertising deals or pursuing music projects without ADOR’s prior consent. The court maintained that the original order remains “valid,” dismissing NJZ’s attempt to overturn it (Korea JoongAng Daily, 2025).
The injunction is part of a wider legal conflict between NJZ and ADOR. In February, the group began promoting under a new name after declaring their exclusive contract with ADOR void. However, ADOR contends that the contract remains legally binding until July 2029, and a separate lawsuit over the contract’s validity is ongoing (Yonhap News Agency, 2025).
NJZ has announced its intention to appeal the latest injunction ruling, which will now move the matter to the appellate court.
The group’s legal conflict with ADOR traces back to April 22, 2024, when HYBE—ADOR’s parent company—launched an audit into ADOR, led by then-CEO Min Hee-jin. HYBE claimed the investigation was to determine whether Min had attempted to separate ADOR from its oversight, while Min called the allegations “absurd,” asserting that the probe stemmed from her concerns that another HYBE group, ILLIT, was imitating NewJeans.
Following weeks of internal leaks and dueling press conferences, HYBE replaced Min with its former HR chief, Kim Ju-young, in August. Although HYBE insisted that Min would remain involved in the group’s creative direction, she disputed this, eventually filing and winning an injunction to prevent her removal. Nonetheless, she was not reinstated and was instead offered a board position, which she declined.
Members of NewJeans captured from live video
On September 11, NewJeans publicly supported Min in a livestream where they appealed to HYBE to reverse her dismissal. Though quickly deleted, the video gained wide attention online. Around the same time, Shin Wooseok—an original creative behind NewJeans’ debut—also criticized HYBE, accusing them of harassment and mismanagement.
Tensions escalated in November when the members sent a certified letter to ADOR outlining demands including Min’s reinstatement and greater transparency in management. These demands were rejected in a public statement on November 27. The next day, November 28, NewJeans held an emergency press conference announcing their intent to terminate their exclusive contract, citing broken trust and failure by ADOR to address their concerns.
In the months that followed, NJZ launched new social media channels and briefly resumed public appearances. However, with the court siding with ADOR on the injunction, the group’s independent activities remain suspended as the legal battle continues in the appellate court.
