NewJeans Wants to Leave HYBE? ADOR: “No Can Do!”

NewJeans has officially ended its contract with its label, ADOR. They are now free! But, are they, really? While the group members have determined to leave HYBE amid the massive dispute, ADOR doesn’t really think so. In fact, the company still insists that NewJeans will remain its artist. How’s that possible? Do you think ADOR will sue NewJeans instead? Check out the full statement from their label, ADOR (and HYBE), on why NewJeans cannot just leave the company.

NewJeans CANNOT Just Leave HYBE: ADOR Official Response

NewJeans has determined to terminate its contract with ADOR and officially leave HYBE. Or so does the group believe.

Apparently, the war is far from over. Why? Because ADOR also announced that it had refused NewJeans’ statement. They believe that even after the deadline, NewJeans will still remain as an artist under the HYBE-ADOR management company. 

Immediately after the NewJeans press conference concluded, ADOR addressed the issue: NewJeans cannot just leave the label.

According to ADOR, the label has done nothing that violated the contract with NewJeans. And the company believes that NewJeans cannot just leave the label simply because of a “broken trust.”

Also, according to ADOR, despite the company’s repeated requests, NewJeans members granted them no meetings to discuss the issue further.

Therefore, no matter what NewJeans claimed in the press conference, NewJeans will remain under the label’s management. 

“We deeply regret that a press conference regarding the termination of the exclusive contract was planned and carried out without sufficient review, even before we had a chance to respond to the content certification notice.

ADOR has not violated the agreement as a party to the exclusive contract. A unilateral claim that trust has been broken cannot constitute grounds for termination. 

The exclusive contract between ADOR and the members of NewJeans remains valid. Therefore, we ask for continued cooperation with ADOR regarding future schedules, as has been the case so far.

We have repeatedly requested meetings with the artists, but they have not materialized. Even now, we hope they will open their hearts and meet with us for an honest conversation.

ADOR will do its utmost to support NewJeans’ activities and help them grow further as global artists.”

ADOR.

NewJeans’s Dispute with Label Continues

With this statement from ADOR, it seems that the dispute between NewJeans and the label will continue. And it’s not simply because of the NewJeans trademark, but the difference of opinions between the two.

Korean industry experts previously analyzed that NewJeans contract termination dispute against ADOR/HYBE was valid based on the “broken trust.” 

However, ADOR believes to have done nothing that has broken this trust.

And even if supposedly the label did, ADOR still believes that a broken trust is not a valid reason for NewJeans to terminate its contract. Therefore, this dispute is far from over.

Interestingly, a Korean attorney and former Judge named Lee Hyun Gon gave his professional perspective on the issue. He believes that NewJeans has made a smart move by terminating the contract without a lawsuit.

“NewJeans has decided not to file an injunction to end their exclusive contract.

The key point from the press conference is that they will terminate their contract as of midnight today but won’t take any legal action.

This is a completely new approach. Normally, filing an injunction would mean they couldn’t move forward until a decision is made. But by skipping legal action, they can move ahead without waiting.

This means ADOR would have to sue NewJeans instead, and NewJeans would only need to wait for the result. Right now, no one can stop NewJeans from becoming independent.

NewJeans is creating a path where none existed before and does not hide in the background.

Watching them do this feels inspiring, and it makes me want to cheer them on.”

Attorney & former Judge Lee Hyun Gon.

241128 Atty. Lee Hyun-gon Facebook post

NewJeans will not file a preliminary injunction to terminate their exclusive contract. The most striking point from the press conference is their decision to terminate the contract as of midnight tonight without pursuing legal action. This… pic.twitter.com/beWcsWG4ew

— 1tokki (@juantokki) November 28, 2024

Will ADOR Sue NewJeans Instead?

Finally, do you think ADOR will really sue NewJeans and escalate the dispute with the HYBE label? Or will ADOR eventually grant the group’s wishes? Because in ADOR’s mindset, NewJeans contract is still valid until July 31, 2029. 

The label also shared their plans for NewJeans’ activities next year, including a Korea fan meeting in March, a full-length album release around June or July, and a world tour starting in August. ADRO also mentioned that they had been looking for a new producer.

So, leaving or staying? Which one do you think will get a better outcome for both parties? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

In the meantime, here’s the full video of NewJeans emergency press conference.

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Source: TenAsia.