K-pop group ordered to stop independent activities

A South Korean court has ruled that members of K-pop group NewJeans must not conduct any independent activities, from making music to signing any advertising deals.

Earlier last year, NewJeans said that they were leaving their agency Ador, after accusing them of mistreatment. They renamed themselves NJZ and began organising their own appearances.

Ador subsequently sued to have NewJeans’ contracts upheld and, after accusing the group of trying to sign independent deals without its approval, filed an injunction against them in January.

On Friday, a Seoul court granted Ador the injunction. The ruling casts some uncertainty around the release of the group’s new song, slated for Sunday.

It also means they will now face difficulty re-debuting under their new name, NJZ, without facing severe financial penalties for breach of contract.

NewJeans and Ador have been embroiled in a dramatic dispute since August 2024, when Hybe, the parent company of Ador, allegedly forced out NewJeans’ mentor, Min Hee-Jin.

The band issued an ultimatum demanding that Min should be restored – and, when Hybe refused, went public with a number of complaints against the label, including the claim it had deliberately undermined their careers.

One of the group’s members, Hanni, also alleged that she suffered workplace harassment while working with the label.

In a press conference in November, NewJeans announced their departure from the company, saying Hybe and Ador had lost the right to represent them as artists.

They subsequently filed court papers seeking a legal separation from the agency.

Since then, the five band members – Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein – have continued to assert their independence, creating a new Instagram account under the name “jeanzforfree”.

They have also said they would fight to keep their name, and their career, and would remain “NewJeans at heart” even if they lost the fight against Ador.

NewJeans were considered one of the brightest new bands in K-Pop, thanks to a playful blend of 1990s R&B and sugar-coated pop melodies.

In 2023, they were the eighth biggest-selling act in the world. Last year, they picked up a nomination for best group at the MTV Awards.