The ongoing clash between NewJeans and their label ADOR is reaching a decisive point, and the latest court developments hint that the next few weeks could shape the group’s future in a big way. On July 24, 2025, both sides gathered for the third hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. The main question on the table: are NewJeans still legally bound to their exclusive contracts with ADOR?
After the hearing, the court scheduled a closed-door mediation for August 14. This step suggests that the judge wants to give both parties a chance to settle things privately rather than dragging the case out in court. If they can come to terms, it could mean a resolution—either NewJeans officially staying with ADOR or being released from their contract.
What really turned heads, though, was a statement from NewJeans’s legal team that showed a surprising openness. Contrary to assumptions that the members wanted to completely cut ties, their representatives clarified that the girls are not against staying at ADOR altogether. The catch? They’re only willing if the company reverts to how it was before HYBE launched its internal audit of former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin in April 2024.
That audit accused Min of trying to seize control and mishandling the group’s management, but the claims were later dismissed by police. Even so, the fallout shook ADOR to its core. NewJeans’s lawyers argued that HYBE’s attempt to oust Min caused lasting instability, leaving the members feeling trapped in the middle of corporate politics. According to them, the group’s current mistrust doesn’t come from ADOR’s original leadership, but from the changes HYBE imposed afterward.
They went on to stress that the agency NewJeans thrived under—the one that launched them into global success—was Min Hee Jin’s ADOR. Today’s ADOR, they argued, is “HYBE-controlled,” with new staff filling key positions and reshaping the label’s culture and direction. In their words, the agency that once empowered them no longer exists in the same form.
For NewJeans, the choice is simple: if ADOR can be restored to its pre-audit structure, they’d be open to continuing there. If not, they want out. As their team put it, “We can’t trust ADOR anymore, which is why we can’t return to it in its current state.”
The August 14 mediation will be the moment of truth. If the two sides can’t agree, the court will move forward with a judgment on whether the contracts remain valid. Whatever happens, the decision could ripple far beyond just NewJeans and ADOR, setting a new precedent for how power struggles and artist rights are handled in the K-pop industry.