NewJeans to Terminate Contract with ADOR and Cut Ties with HYBE Amid Legal Battle

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The members of NewJeans held a late-night press conference to announce their decision to leave their agency, ADOR.

“Once we leave ADOR, we’ll aim to proceed freely with the activities that we really desire,” said Danielle, one of the members. “We really wish to be able to release new music for Bunnies, next year, as soon as possible, whenever. We really hope that we have the opportunity to meet you guys from all around the world.”

Hanni, another member, alleged workplace harassment during their time with the agency.

“This is not the type of work ethic we respect and not one we want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm,” she said.

She also accused the company of “mistreatment, not just towards us but also including our staff,” and spoke of “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation in multiple areas.”

The group acknowledged that they might lose the rights to use the name NewJeans after ending their contract with ADOR. They expressed a desire to collaborate with Min Hee-jin, the former head of ADOR, who left the company earlier this month.

Hanni criticized HYBE, ADOR’s parent company, saying, “A company that no longer has any sincerity in the art of music, a company that only has thoughts about making money, and don’t have any conscience about the negative effect they create through their non-authentic means.”

ADOR responded, stating that NewJeans’ contracts remain valid and that the agency has fulfilled its obligations. “A unilateral claim that trust has been broken does not constitute valid grounds for termination of a contract,” the agency said.

“We regret that the press conference on the termination of the contract took place without sufficient consideration, and even before we gave our response to the demand letter,” ADOR added.

The legal conflict stems from disputes involving ADOR, its former CEO Min Hee-jin, and HYBE. Min stepped down as CEO earlier this year after HYBE accused her of corporate misconduct and espionage. Min denied the allegations and accused HYBE of retaliating against her for criticizing ILLIT, another group under HYBE, for allegedly copying NewJeans’ unique concept. Min was removed from her position in August 2024.

After her departure, NewJeans released a now-deleted YouTube video criticizing HYBE’s treatment of them and voicing strong support for Min. They demanded her reinstatement by September 25, but HYBE rejected the demand, offering to retain her as an internal director and producer instead.

The dispute escalated, with NewJeans giving ADOR until November 27 to resolve “major contract violations” or face termination of their contracts. One key demand was Min’s reinstatement as CEO. However, Min resigned as ADOR’s internal director on November 20 and announced she was cutting ties with HYBE entirely. She has since stated she will “take all necessary legal actions” against HYBE and its affiliates, according to The Korea Times.

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