A court has ruled that NewJeans must continue to honour their contract with their record label ADOR until 2029.
The K-pop group had been seeking to end their agreement with the label over several issues, including a clause preventing them from pursuing solo activities independently.
In a major setback for the band, the Seoul Central District Court announced on Thursday (30 October 2025) that members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein remain legally bound to their contract for another three years.
The five members, who were not present in court, argued that they had not received the same level of care and support from ADOR since the departure of former CEO Min Hee-jin.
However, the court disagreed, stating: “It is difficult to conclude that merely the fact that Min Hee-jin was dismissed from her position as CEO of ADOR caused a gap in management duties for the NewJeans members or that ADOR lacks the plans or capabilities to perform those duties.
“The exclusive contract does not stipulate anywhere that ADOR must entrust the management duties for NewJeans to Min Hee-jin.
“It cannot be considered a significant contractual obligation to guarantee Min Hee-jin’s position as ADOR’s CEO merely because NewJeans personally places high trust in her.”
The ruling added: “Considering that ADOR released albums, prepared fan meetings, established plans for a world tour, and provided opportunities for events and commercial shoots even when NewJeans was not cooperating, it is difficult to conclude that ADOR cannot be expected to fulfill management services for NewJeans.”
The group have also been ordered to cover the legal costs of the case.
According to The ChoSun Daily, NewJeans plan to appeal the verdict. Their legal team stated: “While the members respect the court’s decision, it is impossible to return to ADOR and continue normal entertainment activities under the current situation where the trust relationship with ADOR has already been completely broken.”
ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE, argued that allowing the members to sign independent deals could “destabilise” the K-pop industry.
The label explained: “This decision was made to prevent confusion and potential harm to third parties, including advertisers. Allowing unilateral terminations of exclusive contracts and independent activities without legal procedures could undermine investment in the entertainment industry and destabilise the K-pop sector.”
In September, NewJeans accused ADOR of harassment, bullying, and deceptive practices, later filing to terminate their contract two months after those claims.
South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labour, however, rejected the harassment allegations.
The group held a press conference to announce their intent to leave ADOR, warning that they would terminate their contract unless the label resolved what they saw as breaches of agreement.
ADOR subsequently filed a lawsuit against NewJeans to affirm that their contract “cannot be unilaterally terminated” under the reasons presented by the group.
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