Court to Decide NewJeans' Future on August 14 Amid Ongoing Contract Dispute Between ADOR and HYBE

By Jieun, Baek

Jul 25, 2025

Court to Decide NewJeans' Future on August 14 Amid Ongoing Contract Dispute Between ADOR and HYBE



The fate of the group Newzins will be decided on August 14.

On the 24th, the hearing of the 41st Division of Civil Agreement (Chief Judge Chung Hoe-il) at the Seoul Central District Court held the third hearing to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract filed by Adore against the members of Newgens.

On August 14, the court decided to settle the dispute by directly coordinating it. If the two sides cannot reach a conclusion of mediation, they will be sentenced in October.




The key to the conflict between the two sides is the return of Min Hee-jin, former CEO of Airdore.

On this day, Newzins said, `Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of Hive, who has never succeeded in a girl group other than BTS, was jealous of Min Hee-jin's achievements, and when Min Hee-jin pointed out allegations of plagiarism of ILLIT and unfair pushing to protect the members, he charged them with malpractice and dismissed them." he insisted. Watching this incident, the members' trust in Hive and Adore was broken, and even if they go near the office building, their hearts are fluttering and they need to be treated for depression. To the members, Min Hee-jin was like a home-schooling mother, but his father, who lived separately, returned and kicked out his mother and his children went out. Currently, Adore has been replaced by Hive executives with Min Hee-jin's ouster. The adore that I trusted and relied on when signing an exclusive contract no longer exists".

Newzins said "Let the members go. If not, please return it to the door that the members trusted." In other words, he wants Min Hee-jin to return as a representative.




Court to Decide NewJeans' Future on August 14 Amid Ongoing Contract Dispute Between ADOR and HYBE
In response, Adore said "The essence of the incident was that the trainee changed his mind after succeeding as a celebrity"Hive invested 21 billion won to fully support it. Newzins became a global star and received more than 5 billion won in settlement per person. There is no reason to terminate the contract." He also explained that he is preparing to return, including the release of a new album by Newzins, and Min Hee-jin is behind the notification of the termination of the exclusive contract.

At the same time "If the exclusive contract is canceled, it will be a fatal loss to the members. In addition to the full support of Adore and Hive, they lose their idol image. Legal disputes over penalties and damages will also follow. It is also difficult to maintain the employment of adore employees. The court also believed that the existence of the door itself was in jeopardy if the exclusive contract was canceled. In this case, it is difficult for Adore to train backward, and K-pop has no choice but to go down the path of collapse.

Newzins claims that the exclusive contract was terminated in November last year due to Adore's breach of contract. Audor issued a provisional injunction against the members, including a lawsuit to verify the validity of the exclusive contract, preserving the status of an agency, and signing an advertising contract. The court cited all applications for provisional injunction filed by Adore and ordered that Newzins pay a penalty of 1 billion won per case if it conducts independent activities without consultation with Adore.








silk781220@sportschosun.com