NJZ, the K-pop outfit formerly known as NewJeans, were hit with a setback in their efforts to strike out on their own and leave the label they’ve accused of misconduct and mistreatment.
As CNN reports, a South Korean court upheld an injunction brought against the group by their label, ADOR, a subsidiary of the South Korean mega-label HYBE. The injunction temporarily prevents NJZ from performing or carrying out other commercial activities under their new name, with the judge saying that doing so could “seriously damage” ADOR’s reputation.
NJZ announced their decision to leave ADOR last year and revealed their new name in February. Friday’s court decision comes just days before NJZ were set to take the stage under their new moniker for the first time at the ComplexCon festival in Hong Kong.
In a statement shared on social media, NJZ said they respected the court’s decision, but planned to challenge it. They said the ruling “did not fully take into account the complete breakdown of trust the members have experienced towards ADOR,” and claimed the “urgent nature of the injunction proceedings” left them with insufficient time to “fully present the factual background to the court.”
They also said there was an “imbalance of information” and resources between the group and ADOR/HYBE, and alleged, “The pressure of being involved in a lawsuit, along with fears of retaliation, also prevented many from cooperating.”
While NJZ remained adamant that they would no longer work with ADOR — “We can no longer remain with a management that has disrespected our identities and undermined our achievements” — they did say they would still go ahead with this weekend’s ComplexCon performance (ostensibly under their old name).
“This decision was made out of respect for our fans and all stakeholders involved, in order to prevent unnecessary disruption or harm to those who have been looking forward to the performance,” NJZ said of the decision to play the show.
ADOR, for its part, praised the court’s decision and seemed to approve the ComplexCon concert. “With our status as NewJeans’ exclusive agency now legally affirmed, we are fully committed to supporting the artists going forward,” the label said. “We will be fully present at ComplexCon this weekend to guarantee the performance is presented under the NewJeans name. We eagerly anticipate meeting with the artists for a heartfelt conversation at the earliest opportunity.”
The dispute between NJZ and ADOR stems partly from a corporate quarrel between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who was instrumental in developing NJZ and continued to lead their creative direction. Hee-jin was fired after HYBE alleged that she was trying to take ADOR independent, which Hee-jin denied.
Last September, NJZ demanded Hee-jin be reinstated, claiming they would not continue at ADOR without her. A couple months later, NJZ held an emotional press conference announcing their decision to leave and accused the label of “manipulation,” “mistreatment,” “deliberate miscommunications,” and workplace harassment. (ADOR has denied the claims.)
ADOR subsequently filed a lawsuit against the group, saying they were still under exclusive contract. A full hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for April 3.
