NewJeans | Image: Ador via The Korea Herald

Ador filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court Tuesday, Dec. 3, to confirm the validity of its exclusive contract with NewJeans, which the group claimed to have terminated, the company said on Thursday.

The agency said it deemed it necessary to take this step to affirm that exclusive contracts cannot be unilaterally terminated based on individual claims, ensuring clarity for the artists and other stakeholders involved.

“This decision was not made lightly,” the agency said in a statement. “It aims to prevent misunderstandings where the artists might believe their exclusive contracts have been legally terminated, potentially engaging in entertainment activities that violate the existing contracts.”

Ador emphasized the broader implications of the dispute, highlighting its concern over the potential breakdown of trust and investment in the K-pop industry.

“If the fundamental agreement of an exclusive contract is not upheld, the company’s efforts, which are based on trust in the investment while enduring long-term uncertainty, become invalid and unrecoverable. This would undermine systematic support, investment, and the advancement of systems that have driven the rapid growth of the K-pop industry,” the agency added.

Allegations surrounding former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin’s involvement in NewJeans’ unilateral termination of their exclusive contract with Ador have snowballed recently, particularly after Min filed legal complaints against those raising the issue on Monday.

According to a local media report on Monday, Min was allegedly introduced to the owner of Davolink, a company linked to an uncle of one of the NewJeans members. The report claims Min proposed an investment deal in exchange for helping the girl group leave Ador. Testimonies of the company’s owner and related photographs from the report were cited to support these claims. Additionally, Min was reportedly aware in advance of NewJeans’ guerrilla YouTube broadcast in September and member Hanni’s appearance at the National Assembly in October. Hanni is said to have visited Min’s office with an envelope ahead of her appearance as a reference witness at the audit.

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Min responded by filing legal complaints against former Hybe CEO Park Ji-won and Hybe’s PR head for allegedly violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. She also filed defamation complaints against reporters from a local media outlet under the same act.

“Since April, defendants Park Ji-won and Park Tae-hee have actively utilized illegally obtained private conversations, adding false information to create negative public opinion against Min,” Min’s legal team stated.

Regarding the reporters, the legal team added, “Despite being fully aware of the malicious intent, the reporters consistently published false reports to defame Min. Today, they once again released an article entirely detached from the truth, incorporating their own speculation into unverified claims to produce false narratives.”

Min has yet to provide concrete evidence to counter the allegations, leaving the controversy unresolved.

Music critic Lim Hee-yun argued that the core issue is not whether Min orchestrated NewJeans’ contract termination but the broader alignment of interests between the parties involved.

“It remains unclear whether any direct communication (regarding termination) took place between NewJeans and Min Hee-jin, and this cannot be determined until the matter is brought to court,” Lim said Thursday. “Even if no such communication occurred, the alignment of objectives between NewJeans and Min Hee-jin seems more significant than the act of communication itself. NewJeans have already terminated their exclusive contract, and what holds weight now is the shared vision among the parties involved.”

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Lim added that NewJeans’ decision to hold their first-ever press conference, coinciding with the announcement of their contract termination, was unprecedented in the Korean music industry.

“This is unlikely to stem from mere youthful rebellion or impulsiveness,” he said. “It suggests thorough legal preparation. Even if there was no physical interaction with Minibetph, their aligned goals, combined with the group’s earlier calls for Min’s reinstatement at Ador, point to a natural progression of events.”

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