At 9:50 a.m. on October 30, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 41, presided over by Judge Jung Hoe Il, announced its decision regarding ADOR’s lawsuit to validate its exclusive contracts with the five members of NewJeans. The court ruled that “the contracts signed between ADOR and NewJeans in 2022 remain legally binding,” adding that “NewJeans will be responsible for covering the litigation costs.”
The court rejected NewJeans’ argument that “HYBE attempted to replace NewJeans with ILLIT, who allegedly copied their concept.” In its statement, the court noted, “Although there are certain similarities in the project outlines and photographs of NewJeans and ILLIT, it is difficult to conclude that ILLIT is an imitation of NewJeans. The ‘girl group concept’ itself cannot be classified as intellectual property.”
The ruling further explained, “Since ADOR, led by then-CEO Min Hee Jin, sent an official notice to Belift Lab — ILLIT’s agency — in response to the copying allegations, it cannot be said that ADOR failed to take any action on the matter.”
The conflict between NewJeans and ADOR began in November of last year, when the group held an emergency press conference, citing a “loss of trust” with the agency. During the event, the members announced their decision to terminate their exclusive contracts with ADOR and continue their careers independently under a new name, NJZ.
In response, ADOR argued that “a simple claim of broken trust does not justify contract termination” and filed a lawsuit on December 3 to confirm that their contracts with NewJeans remained valid. On January 6, the agency also sought a court injunction to protect its management authority and prevent the members from signing new endorsement deals.
When the court approved ADOR’s injunction request in March, NewJeans’ activities were effectively suspended, intensifying the standoff between both parties. Despite two rounds of mediation, no settlement was reached, ultimately resulting in today’s final verdict.