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\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n
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\u2014either NewJeans officially staying with ADOR or being released from their contract.<\/p>\n
What really turned heads, though, was a statement from NewJeans\u2019s 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\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
That audit accused Min of trying to seize control and mishandling the group\u2019s management, but the claims were later dismissed by police. Even so, the fallout shook ADOR to its core. NewJeans\u2019s lawyers argued that HYBE\u2019s attempt to oust Min caused lasting instability, leaving the members feeling trapped in the middle of corporate politics. According to them, the group\u2019s current mistrust doesn\u2019t come from ADOR\u2019s original leadership, but from the changes HYBE imposed afterward.<\/p>\n
They went on to stress that the agency NewJeans thrived under\u2014the one that launched them into global success\u2014was Min Hee Jin\u2019s ADOR. Today\u2019s ADOR, they argued, is \u201cHYBE-controlled,\u201d with new staff filling key positions and reshaping the label\u2019s culture and direction. In their words, the agency that once empowered them no longer exists in the same form.<\/p>\n
For NewJeans, the choice is simple: if ADOR can be restored to its pre-audit structure, they\u2019d be open to continuing there. If not, they want out. As their team put it, \u201cWe can\u2019t trust ADOR anymore, which is why we can\u2019t return to it in its current state.\u201d<\/p>\n
The August 14 mediation will be the moment of truth. If the two sides can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The ongoing clash between NewJeans and their label ADOR is reaching a decisive point, and the latest court developments hint\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":86958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[30196],"class_list":["post-86957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-news","tag-newjeans"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}