SEOUL \u2013 Hybe won a crucial court ruling affirming its management contract with K-pop act NewJeans, helping the South Korean company maintain control over one of its most valuable acts.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
The Seoul Central District Court on Oct 30 ruled that Hybe\u2019s label Ador retains exclusive rights to manage the five-member girl group, rejecting NewJeans\u2019 attempt to terminate the agreement and pursue independent activities.<\/p>\n
The verdict cements Hybe\u2019s position as the sole agency for NewJeans, ending nearly a year of disputes that roiled the country\u2019s entertainment industry and captivated global fans. The girl group, which tried to rebrand their band identity, would not be able to pursue their own acts until 2029 unless they win in an appeal.<\/p>\n
Shares in Hybe, which also manages K-pop boy band BTS, rose more than 7 per cent after the ruling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The court rejected most of NewJeans\u2019 claims that trust with Ador had been broken, siding instead with the label. It said removing producer Min Hee-jin as Ador\u2019s chief executive officer (CEO) did not create a management vacuum for the group, according to Yonhap News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The court found insufficient grounds to support the group\u2019s key claims for terminating the contract \u2013 namely, Ms Min\u2019s dismissal and Ador\u2019s alleged failure to protect the members.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is difficult to conclude that Ador breached the exclusive contract solely on the grounds of Min Hee-jin\u2019s dismissal,\u201d the court said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that Min was removed from her position as CEO does not in itself mean that a managerial vacuum was created or that Ador became incapable of fulfilling its contractual obligations,\u201d the court added. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe members\u2019 personal trust in Min alone does not establish that guaranteeing her CEO position was a fundamental obligation under the exclusive contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
In its ruling, the court also cited that after Ms Min\u2019s dismissal as CEO, Ador offered her a revised contract valid for the remainder of her term and requested she continue producing for NewJeans, but Ms Min instead voluntarily resigned from her position as an internal director.<\/p>\n
NewJeans\u2019 additional claims that the contract was breached due to the leak of the group\u2019s trainee videos to local media and comments made by a Hybe official allegedly bullying member Hanni were also deemed insufficient grounds for termination. <\/p>\n
The court further rejected the group and Min\u2019s claim that her public campaign against Ador and Hybe was intended to protect NewJeans.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt cannot be viewed that Min Hee-jin\u2019s actions were for the purpose of safeguarding the group,\u201d the court stated, adding that her efforts were not directly linked to the members\u2019 independence.<\/p>\n
NewJeans\u2019 attorney said in a statement that the band plan to immediately appeal the ruling, asking the appellate court to comprehensively review the facts and legal grounds surrounding the contract dispute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the members respect the court\u2019s decision, the statement noted that it is impossible to resume normal activities under Ador due to a complete breakdown of trust, and expressed deep gratitude to fans for their patience and continued support.<\/p>\n
The dispute began in November 2024, when NewJeans abruptly held a press conference announcing the termination of their exclusive contract with Ador. The label responded in December by filing a lawsuit seeking confirmation of contract validity. <\/p>\n
Ador also requested injunctions to prevent the members from pursuing independent activities or entering advertisement contracts without the agency\u2019s consent until the main lawsuit had concluded.<\/p>\n
In February, the group announced plans to continue their activities under a new team name, NJZ, but the court accepted Ador\u2019s injunction request, effectively halting the rebranded group\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n
Subsequent appeals and objections filed by the members were all dismissed.<\/p>\n
In May, the court also approved Ador\u2019s request for indirect compulsory execution, ruling that each NewJeans member must pay one billion won (S$910,000) to Ador per violation if they engage in entertainment activities without the company\u2019s prior approval.<\/p>\n
With their activities suspended under court order, NewJeans have since remained inactive.<\/p>\n
According to South Korean media reports on Oct 24, Ms Min has officially launched a new entertainment company after she completed corporate registration for Ooak (One Of A Kind) on Oct 16. <\/p>\n
The business scope includes artiste management, album production and distribution, and event planning, signalling her intent to resume full-scale creative and production activities. BLOOMBERG, THE\u00a0KOREA\u00a0HERALD\/ASIA NEWS NETWORK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEOUL \u2013 Hybe won a crucial court ruling affirming its management contract with K-pop act NewJeans, helping the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,75,341],"class_list":{"0":"post-250022","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}