The intensifying legal dispute between NewJeans and ADOR has taken a pivotal turn, with the Seoul Central District Court now backing the agency through a forceful ruling that imposes major financial penalties on the group. The court’s decision on May 30 confirms that NewJeans violated an earlier injunction issued in March, particularly by operating under the new identity NJZ and engaging in unauthorized promotions. These actions, both before and after the injunction, were deemed direct breaches of legal conditions intended to restrain their independence from ADOR.
The court’s response to these violations has been swift and severe, approving ADOR’s request for indirect enforcement through substantial fines. A penalty of 1 billion KRW per member per violation means that, collectively, NewJeans could face up to 5 billion KRW each time they carry out an unapproved activity. This measure, while rare in scale, is designed to dissuade further defiance of the court’s orders and reassert ADOR’s control over the group’s public and commercial appearances.
At the heart of this conflict lies the group’s abrupt move in November 2024 to sever ties with ADOR and terminate their exclusive contracts. That move triggered a series of legal battles, beginning with ADOR’s successful injunction in March, which restricted NewJeans from independently signing endorsements or performing without agency consent. However, the group’s participation at ComplexCon and the release of new content under NJZ effectively undermined the court’s prior order, leading to the new wave of enforcement.
NewJeans’ legal team has responded by emphasizing that this latest ruling is provisional. They insist that the enforcement order will be nullified if the group’s appeal against the original injunction succeeds. The second hearing on the core contract dispute, set for June 5, could therefore prove decisive not just for the future of the group’s brand but also for the precedent it sets regarding artist-agency conflicts in K-pop.
With such high stakes and global attention on this case, the outcome could redefine the limits of contractual freedom and agency power in the entertainment industry. Until then, both fans and the industry at large remain on edge, watching as the battle over identity, control, and artistic autonomy unfolds.