It seems NewJeans and their agency ADOR have once again failed to reach a settlement.
On August 14, the Civil Settlement Division 41 of the Seoul Central District Court held a mediation session for ADOR’s lawsuit against Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, seeking confirmation of the validity of their exclusive contracts.
Minji and Danielle attended in person, briefly apologizing before entering the courtroom. The closed-door session lasted about an hour and 20 minutes, but ended without an agreement. The court has scheduled a second mediation for September 11, with a ruling to follow on October 30 if talks fail again.
The dispute dates back to the dismissal of former CEO Min Hee Jin in August last year. In November, NewJeans announced they were ending their exclusive contracts with ADOR, rebranded as NJZ, and vowed to continue activities independently. In response, ADOR sued to affirm the contracts’ validity, claiming the group had terminated them unilaterally. In January, the court granted ADOR’s injunction to preserve the agency’s rights and block the members from pursuing independent advertising or promotional work.
While ADOR insists the contracts remain binding and hopes for a settlement, NewJeans maintains that trust has been irreparably broken and has no plans to return.
