NewJeans Members Return to ADOR After Legal Dispute Ends

All five members of the K-pop girl group NewJeans announced their decision to return to their record label, ADOR, on November 12, ending a year-long legal battle that had halted their activities and threatened their careers. The announcement came after a Seoul court ruled in late October that the group's exclusive contracts with the HYBE subsidiary remained valid through 2029, rejecting claims of irreparable trust breakdown.

The dispute began in April 2024, when ADOR's parent company, HYBE, accused former CEO Min Heejin of attempting to take the label independent, leading to her dismissal. NewJeans, who had signed with ADOR under Heejin's guidance, publicly supported her reinstatement and accused the label of mistreatment, including sabotage and manipulation. Member Hanni detailed instances of deliberate miscommunications during a parliamentary hearing, while the group held a press conference declaring their contracts invalid. They sought to operate independently as NJZ, performing under that name at ComplexCon in Hong Kong in March and debuting a new song before announcing an indefinite hiatus.

ADOR denied the allegations, maintaining that it had fulfilled contractual...