NewJeans, the girl group currently embroiled in an exclusive contract dispute with their agency ADOR, has made a surprise announcement that they will temporarily suspend all activities after releasing a new song under their new name, ‘NJZ’. This decision was triggered by a court ruling prohibiting independent activities. This move is interpreted as indicating that they would rather halt their activities than return to ADOR.
ADOR expressed regret over the situation and expressed hope for swift communication with the members.
According to the music industry on the 24th, NewJeans unveiled their new song ‘Pit Stop’ at the ‘ComplexCon’ performance in Hong Kong the previous night. During the performance, the new team name ‘NJZ’ rather than NewJeans was displayed on the LED screens, and merchandise under the name ‘NJZ’ was sold near the performance venue.
At the end of the performance, NewJeans stated, “This might be our last performance for a while,” and announced, “We have decided to halt all activities in compliance with the court’s decision. It wasn’t an easy choice, but it’s a necessary decision for us right now.”
This announcement came a day after an interview with NewJeans was shared by Time magazine. In the interview, NewJeans members mentioned being disappointed with the court ruling but did not expect the issues in the K-pop industry to change overnight, commenting, “This is the reality in Korea. It seems Korea wants to turn us into revolutionaries.”
On the 21st, the Civil Division 50 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kim Sang-hoon) accepted ADOR’s application for an injunction to prohibit the NewJeans members from signing advertising contracts independently and ruled entirely in ADOR’s favor.
The court stated, “Based solely on the arguments and materials submitted by the respondents (NewJeans members), it is difficult to conclude that the claimant (ADOR) violated essential obligations of the exclusive contract, resulting in justifiable grounds for its termination or an irreparable breakdown in their mutual trust.”
As a result, until the first trial verdict of the main lawsuit is issued, NewJeans is unable to carry out independent activities without reaching an agreement with ADOR.
During the Hong Kong performance, member Minji said, “We were well aware that it wouldn’t be easy when we started this,” adding, “While we accept the court’s decision and process, we raise our voices to protect each other. We do not regret that choice.”
Likewise, Hyein remarked, “Some may think we should have just put up with it and stayed with ADOR,” but added, “To us, this situation was about protecting ourselves. We believe we must become strong to return, and that’s why we never regret our decision.”
Following the court’s decision, ADOR attempted to support the members as their agency in Hong Kong but reportedly could not meet with them.
ADOR commented, “We deeply regret NewJeans’ performance under a different name despite the court ruling and their unilateral declaration of activity suspension,” and expressed their commitment to doing their best for NewJeans under the valid exclusive contract. They also expressed hope for a timely discussion with the artists regarding their future.