Song Siyoung / ADOR
The members of NewJeans may only be 16 to 20 years old, but they have taken a fierce stance against what they see as recording industry exploitation.
Chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans could be blocked from signing advertising deals and other contracts after its record label filed an injunction against it.
The five musicians are currently engaged in a heated dispute with Ador, the entertainment company that formed their group in 2022.
Last November, the group claimed their contracts were invalid, due to what they claimed was a pattern of intimidation, harassment and subterfuge within the company. Ador, who denied the allegations, filed a lawsuit to enforce their contracts.
The company is now accusing NewJeans of attempting to sign independent deals without its approval and has filed new lawsuits in Seoul, South Korea.
“This decision was made to avoid confusion and potential harm to third parties, including advertisers,” Ador said in a statement.
The agency also warned that there could be wider repercussions for South Korea’s lucrative music industry if NewJeans’ actions were left unchecked.
“Allowing the unilateral termination of exclusive contracts and independent activities without legal procedures could undermine investments in the entertainment industry and destabilize the K-pop sector,” Ador said in his request for the injunction, according to the Yonhap news agency.
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NewJeans announced the termination of its contract at a press conference last year (LR: Haerin, Danielle, Hanni, Minji and Hyein)
NewJeans was considered one of K-Pop’s brightest new groups, thanks to a playful mix of 1990s R&B and sugar-coated pop melodies.
As of 2023, they were the eighth best-selling band in the world. Last year, they were nominated for Best Group at the MTV Awards.
But their relationship with Ador deteriorated after its parent company Hybe allegedly kicked out their mentor, Min Hee-Jin.
The group issued an ultimatum demanding that Min be restored. When Hybe refused, the band went public with a number of complaints against the label, including the claim that Hybe had deliberately undermined their career.
At a press conference last November, the five members – Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein – announced their departure from the company, claiming that Hybe and Ador had lost the right to represent them as artists .
They later filed court papers seeking a legal separation from the agency, but the case has not yet been heard.
Ador believes that the group’s contract, which runs until 2027, should be maintained.
The label has already finalized a schedule for the quintet’s next 12 months, which includes, among other activities, releasing a new album and hosting fan meetings.
However, the band members continued to assert their independence, creating a new Instagram account under the name “jeanzforfree”, where they regularly host live streams with their fans.
The group says it will fight to keep its name and career, and that it will remain “NewJeans at heart” even if it loses this fight.
EPA
Fans of the group, known as “Bunnies”, have expressed their support as the group attempts to move on from Hybe/Ador.
This isn’t the first time a K-pop group has attempted to terminate a contract.
Popular groups TVXQ and Fifty Fifty both filed lawsuits against their labels, but the cases had mixed results and both groups saw their line-ups change as a result.
The biggest problem facing NewJeans is that the lawsuit against Ador could take two or three years to resolve. During this time, they are unlikely to be able to record or promote new music unless the projects are created in collaboration with the label.
If the court ultimately finds that Hybe was at fault, the members will be able to step down – and may even keep the group name.
But if the decision goes against the group, it is exposed to a financial sanction.
In October, K-pop news site Koreaboo estimated that members would have to pay around 300 billion South Korean won (around £170 million) to terminate their contract early.
