NJZ (NewJeans) Responds To Court Ruling— Netizens Divided
On March 21, the 50th Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court accepted ADOR’s application for an injunction against the NewJeans members to “preserve the status of the agency and prohibit the signing of advertising contracts.”
Although the members claimed their contracts were terminated due to a violation of ADOR’s contract, the court ruled that they should not engage in independent activities.
Most recently, NJZ (NewJeans) responded to the court ruling with a statement posted in both Korean and English. Below is the full English statement.
“Hello, this is NJZ.
Today, the court rendered a decision regarding the injunction. NJZ respects the court’s ruling. However, we believe that the decision did not fully take into account the complete breakdown of trust the members have experienced toward ADOR.
Due to the urgent nature of injunction proceedings, the decision was issued approximately two weeks after the March 7, 2025 hearing. As such, we did not have sufficient opportunity to fully present the factual background to the court. Additionally, due to an imbalance of information, ADOR and HYBE have full access to all information regarding the members’ entertainment activities, whereas the members have been forced to individually contact relevant parties to request information. The pressure of being involved in a lawsuit, along with fears of retaliation, also prevented many from cooperating.
We plan to challenge today’s decision through the objection procedure, during which we will raise additional legal issues and submit further supporting evidence. Above all, until the point the exclusive contracts were terminated, we had diligently fulfilled out obligations without any wrongdoing. In contrast, ADOR and HYBE, behind the scenes, continued to treat us unfairly and unequally, ultimately destroying the relationship of trust. It is only a matter of time before the truth becomes clear.
It is important to note that an injunction is a provisional measure. A separate main lawsuit regarding the validity of the exclusive contract termination is currently underway, with a court hearing scheduled for April 3. Unlike injunction proceedings, the main lawsuit allows us to freely utilize civil procedure tools to collect necessary evidence. We anticipate this will greatly reinforce our claims.”
They added that regardless of financial matters, they can no longer stay with a company that has disrespected their identities and are taking legal action to protect their rights.
“Though we are going through a very difficult time, we remain calm and strong, always thinking of our fans who continue to support NJZ and the Bunnies. NJZ values its promise with fans above all else, and we will devote ourselves to the remaining legal process so that we may once again connect with you with genuine joy.
As we have stated before, regardless of any financial matters, we can no longer remain with a management that has disrespected our identities and undermined our achievements. The reason we are pursuing this legal action is to protect our dignity and rights.
Meanwhile, after much deliberation, we have decided to participate in the upcoming ComplexCon scheduled for March 23. This decision was made out of respect for our fans and all stakeholders involved, in order to prevent unnecessary disruption or harm to those who have been looking forward to the performance.
We sincerely ask for your continued support and encouragement as we move forward.”
While most supported the girls, some wondered if going this far would do them any good.
- “I wonder what Min Hee Jin was thinking. She’s been in the industry for a long time, did she think she could win with that kind of reason? And doing it with these young kids?”
- “Even this statement seems to be driven by emotions.”
- “I can’t help but think that this choice seems like it will lead to deeper waters. I’m curious as to what they are thinking.”
