NewJeans may have been more enthusiastic when they announced in a press conference that they will be parting ways from ADOR – a sub-label of HYPE. They cited mistreatment, breach of contract, loss of trust and ADOR’s inadequate response to their complaints among the reasons they have decided to make the crucial decision.
Later on, they would go on to admit that they can’t perform anymore under NewJeans and instead rebranded as NJZ, promising fans that they will be blessed with more music and materials soon.
However, a court ruling may have just put a stop to their plans.
NJZ Must Cease All Activities Following A Court Ruling They Failed To Appeal
Since surprising fans by announcing their decision to leave ADOR, the girls have gone on to perform as NJZ, like their March 23 performance at ComplexCon in Hong Kong, where they debuted a new song called ‘Pit Stop.’
Attorney Lee Hyungon of Saeol, a law office located in Seoul, explained the legal grounds the girls were standing during his chat with Korea JoongAng Daily.
“The contract has already been terminated by the members because they took all the legal steps of doing so,” Lee said. “What ADOR can do is now file a lawsuit asking for legal judgment on whether NewJeans’ reasons for doing so were well-grounded or not. If the court takes NewJeans’ side, then the contract was and will remain terminated. If the court decides that NewJeans was wrong to terminate the contract the way it did, then it will either be ordered to go back to ADOR or pay up to compensate the company.”
Even though NJZ hoped that the court will take their side and approve their reasons for terminating the contract, the court went the other way, stating that “an individual cannot unilaterally terminate or exit a contract based on subjective reasoning.”
One year ago today, NewJeans released Supernatural.pic.twitter.com/S0W074W0BR
— About Music (@AboutMusicYT) June 23, 2025
The court further went on to reject the argument that ADOR failed in its production obligations, citing that even though Min Hee Jin was dismissed as CEO, the company had actively sought to retain her in a producing role. As a result of this, the court could find no grounds to justify that the company had breached their contract.
On June 18, a day after the ruling, ADOR issued a public statement: “The appellate court has clearly reaffirmed that ADOR is the official management agency of NewJeans. We hope this decision paves the way for the members to return to their rightful place as part of NewJeans.”
On June 25, the court upheld the ruling after NJZ failed to appeal the decision within the seven-day legal window.
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