The Min Hee-jin saga is officially over.
After more than a year of courtroom battles, all five members of NewJeans are returning to their label, ADOR. The power struggle between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin stretched on as the members publicly backed Min and declared plans to leave. Their full return brings the standoff to a close.
ADOR said on the 12th that HAERIN and HYEIN have decided to respect the court’s ruling and honor their exclusive contracts, adding the company will fully support both members’ activities moving forward. Shortly after, MINJI, DANIELLE, and HANNI also formally signaled their return.
In a joint note, the trio wrote that, after careful discussion, they chose to come back to ADOR and wanted fans to hear it directly from them. They added that one member is currently in Antarctica, which delayed communications, and said they shared the update separately because they hadn’t yet received a response from ADOR. “We’ll keep showing up with music and performances that come from the heart,” they said.
The decision lands one day before the deadline to appeal their exclusive-contract lawsuit against ADOR (midnight on the 13th).
On the 30th of last month, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of ADOR, finding there were no legal grounds to terminate the members’ contracts. The court rejected all six claims brought by NewJeans’ side.
The ruling reaffirmed ADOR’s management authority and the validity of the agreements―an outcome that appears to have directly influenced HAERIN and HYEIN’s return. Last November, the members held a press conference alleging undue interference by HYBE and declared their split from ADOR, but the court determined the primary cause of the breakdown in trust stemmed from Min Hee-jin’s bid for independence.
A year after the first filings, NewJeans are back where they started. With the contract dispute finally closed, the Min Hee-jin chapter now moves into the rearview.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)