K-pop group NewJeans has retained additional heavyweight legal counsel as they appeal a court ruling that prevented them from engaging in independent activities outside their agency ADOR.
South Korea’s Allkpop reported on Wednesday (May 21) reported that the group’s appeal case has been assigned to Civil Division 25 of the Seoul High Court, with presiding judges Hwang Byung Ha, Jung Jong Kwan, and Lee Kyun Yong overseeing proceedings.
The five-member girl group has reportedly added Park Hyung Nam, a 65-year-old former director of the Judicial Policy Research Institute and representative attorney from law firm Wooseung, to their legal team.
Park, who passed both bar and civil service exams while at Seoul National University, previously served as a senior judge at the Seoul High Court before joining the private sector in February, Allkpop said.
With Park’s addition, NewJeans‘ legal representation now comprises 14 attorneys, including partner Lee Won from law firm Sejong (Shin & Kim), according to the report.
KBIZoom and Naver reported separately on Wednesday that NewJean’s legal team includes lawyers who formerly represented ADOR‘s former CEO Min Hee-jin.
In response, HYBE-owned ADOR also strengthened its own legal team with former Constitutional Court justice Kang Il Won and attorney Chun Ji Sung, daughter of former Justice Minister Chun Jung Bae. The agency had already secured former senior High Court judge Hong Seung Myeon earlier this month, bringing its total legal team to 13 attorneys, the report said.
The conflict between NewJeans and ADOR erupted when when the K-pop group publicly announced their plan to terminate their exclusive contract with ADOR during an emergency press conference on November 28, 2024.
“Staying at the agency will only prolong our psychological pain and waste our time,” NewJeans member Hanni was quoted by JoongAng Daily as saying at the time.
This prompted ADOR to file a lawsuit in December, seeking to confirm the validity of its exclusive contracts with the NewJeans members. Then in January, ADOR filed for a preliminary injunction against the group to prevent the members from pursuing independent activities without company approval.
Subsequently in February, NewJeans announced that they have rebranded as “NJZ,” after launching their own social media accounts in December.
Following the name change, the court last month ordered the group to halt their independent activities and return to working with ADOR, granting the label’s request and ruling that there is “insufficient evidence to support the claims made by the NewJeans members,” per Korea JoongAng Daily.
The ruling prompted NewJeans to announce an indefinite hiatus in March following a sold-out performance in Hong Kong. The concert saw the five-member band perform as NJZ, rather than NewJeans.
The Seoul Central District Court on March 21 ruled in ADOR’s favor, stating: “It is difficult to conclude that ADOR significantly violated its obligations under the exclusive contract, or that the mutual trust underpinning the contract has been irreparably damaged,” Allkpop reported.
Although NewJeans filed an objection, the court maintained its original decision, prompting an immediate appeal from the group.
All NewJeans activities reportedly remain suspended pending resolution of the case.
Despite the ongoing litigation, the group was recently included in Billboard’s ’21 Under 21’ list alongside KATSEYE, represented by the HYBE x Geffen joint venture.
Another controversy emerged this week after American R&B duo Emotional Oranges posted a photo with NewJeans member Danielle on social media, which appeared to suggest a collaboration.
“Just give us some time guys it’s coming,” the now-deleted post, obtained by Allkpop, read. The post had an orange emoji, representing Emotional Oranges, and a bunny emoji, often associated with NewJeans, the news outlet noted.
The post was quickly deleted and later clarified by the duo: “Sorry if we caused any confusion, but that genuinely wasn’t the intention. Hope you’re enjoying orenjii & we can’t wait to see you on tour soon.”
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