ADOR Wins Lawsuit: Court Confirms Validity of NewJeans' Contract

A first-instance court has ruled that the exclusive contract between entertainment agency ADOR and girl group NewJeans is valid.

On the 30th, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 41 (Presiding Judge Jeong Hoe-il) ruled in favor of the plaintiff (ADOR) in a lawsuit seeking confirmation of the exclusive contract's validity, which ADOR filed against the five NewJeans members.

Last November, NewJeans claimed their contract had been terminated due to ADOR's contract violations and announced they would pursue independent activities. In response, ADOR filed the lawsuit in December, asserting the contract was still valid. Additionally, ADOR filed for a preliminary injunction to block NewJeans' activities until the main lawsuit's verdict was delivered.

After the court granted the injunction, preventing them from group activities, NewJeans filed an objection and an appeal, but both were dismissed, prohibiting the members' independent activities. In May, the court also granted ADOR's request for an indirect enforcement order, ruling that if NewJeans undertakes independent activities, each member must pay ADOR 1 billion won per violation.

The court attempted mediation twice in the main lawsuit, but both parties failed to reach an agreement, leading to today's ruling.