![\"Danielle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/dfb0d72f-dee7-4964-ac80-bc02acf9b37e.png\")
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Danielle \/ Captured from BBC Korea<\/p>\n
Now officially a former member of NewJeans after her contract was terminated by Ador in December, Danielle faces an uncertain future.<\/p>\n
While Haerin and Hyein returned quickly, Danielle\u2019s path diverged. Like Minji and Hanni, she eventually expressed a belated intent to return to Ador, but after a month of attempted coordination, the agency announced her departure.<\/p>\n
Ador cited “heavy responsibility” on the part of one of Danielle\u2019s family members for sparking internal disputes and delaying the members\u2019 return to the group. The agency has filed a lawsuit seeking around 43.1 billion won ($29.4 million) in damages and penalties against Danielle\u2019s family as well as former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin.<\/p>\n
With Haerin, Hyein and Hanni reportedly returning to Ador, while Minji\u2019s final status remains undecided, Danielle has been left on her own \u2014 a sudden removal that shocked fans and drew industry attention.<\/p>\n
After two weeks of silence, Danielle resurfaced on Jan. 12, launching a personal social media account and hosting a livestream to speak directly to fans.<\/p>\n
“Under a strange sky, I met myself again,” she told viewers. “Many situations are still being sorted out. When the time comes, I will update you about what’s happening and about all the things you are curious about.”<\/p>\n
She added, \u201cThis is not the end. It is just the beginning,\u201d hinting at her future plans.<\/p>\n
Rumors that she is testing the waters in the Chinese market have gone around after she opened an account on Xiaohongshu (Red Note), a popular Chinese social media platform.<\/p>\n
Despite the controversy, her reputation appears intact. High-profile figures, including artist and past NewJeans collaborator Takashi Murakami, as well as various fashion insiders, have followed her new personal accounts \u2014 a subtle show of support in the wake of her removal from the group.<\/p>\n
However, an immediate return to the stage may be difficult. Analysts warn that the massive ongoing lawsuit makes her a risky signing for agencies or brands in the near term.<\/p>\n
Danielle has reportedly appointed legal counsel to prepare for the upcoming court battle against Ador. As she attempts to stand on her own, the K-pop world is watching to see if she can overcome the legal headwinds and truly spread new wings as a solo artist.<\/p>\n
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Danielle \/ Captured from BBC Korea Now officially a former member of NewJeans after her contract was terminated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-436223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}