A South Korean court has banned members of NewJeans from doing independent projects after favoring their label ADOR. According to the ruling by the Seoul Central District Court, the group's contract with ADOR is still legal, so they cannot do any commercial activities without the label's permission.
In November 2024, NewJeans announced their departure from ADOR and introduced a new name – NJZ. They also plan to release a new song this month, but that could be affected by the court ruling. In an Instagram post, the group said they respect the decision but that it did not include a loss of trust in ADOR.
The issue began due to a dispute between ADOR execs and their former creative director. The members wanted to work with the director, but ADOR denied the accusations of mistreatment and insisted that the contract was still valid.
ADOR is a subsidiary of HYBE, the powerhouse label that also owns BTS. Due to this intense controversy, many headlines have appeared about NewJeans, not only in South Korea but around the world.
In their official statement, ADOR thanked the court for the decision and said they would continue to support the group. In addition, they said they would attend NewJeans' performance in Hong Kong on Sunday as the group's official agency.
