K-pop group Newzines loses lawsuit over leaving agency

k pop Group Newgins has lost its case End your exclusive contract with record label Adore,

A Seoul Court The ruling on Thursday (30 October) ruled that the group’s agreement with the management agency remains valid and they must honor it until 2029, unless they win an appeal. korea herald,

The court rejected the group’s claim that the label’s alleged misconduct and the dismissal of the band’s former creative director and Adore’s former CEO Min Hee Jin formed grounds for terminating their deal, ordering Newgins to bear the costs of the lawsuit.

“It is difficult to conclude Adore breached exclusive contract “On the basis of Min Hee-jin’s dismissal alone,” the soul Central District Court said.

“The fact that Min was removed as CEO does not mean that a managerial vacuum was created or that Adore became unable to fulfill its contractual obligations.

“The members’ personal reliance on Min alone does not establish that guaranteeing his CEO position was a fundamental obligation under the exclusive contract.

“Considering that Adore released albums, produced fan meetings, planned world tours, and provided opportunities for events and commercial shoots even when Newzeans was not cooperating, it is difficult to conclude that Adore cannot be expected to fulfill management services for Newzeans.”

No one from the group – composed of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Herrin and Hyein – was present in court. The amount to be paid has not been made public.

Newgins’ legal representatives at Sejong Law Firm said they would immediately appeal.

“Members respect the court’s decision,” the company said in a statement. “But given that the relationship of trust with Adore has been completely destroyed, it is impossible for him to return under the company and continue normal entertainment activities.

“The Members plan to file an appeal immediatelyIt is expected that the appellate court will once again thoroughly review the facts and legal grounds related to the contract termination and reach a fair conclusion.

There has been a dispute between Newgins and Adore since Min was removed from the post last year. Hybe, parent company of AdoreTheir dispute stemmed from a conflict in April 2024, when Hib accused Min of attempting to make Adore independent, triggering an internal audit and ultimately his dismissal.

NewGenes held a press conference in November 2024, where they unilaterally declared their exclusive contract with Adore invalid, and accused the agency of having “neither the ability nor the willingness to protect” NewGenes.

Adore has denied the band’s allegations of abuse and bullying, stating that they “have not violated the terms of the agreement”, and arguing that “a unilateral claim of breach of confidence does not constitute legitimate grounds to terminate the contract”.

NewJeans sought to continue activities independently under the NJZ name, introducing a new song at ComplexCon Hong Kong. The group also announced that they would be going on indefinite hiatus, saying that it was “not an easy decision, but we believe this is what we need to do at this time”.

Adore and its parent company Hib protested its legal action, saying that the artists’ exclusive contracts were still valid and that performing under a different name violated the terms of the contract.

At that time the court sided with AdorRuling that the group’s planned promotion as NJZ would violate exclusivity clauses and granting the label’s request for an injunction to establish itself as Newz’s management agency.

In its ruling on Thursday, the court also said that following Min’s dismissal as CEO, Adore had offered him a revised contract valid for the remainder of his tenure and asked him to continue production for Nugenes. However, Min resigned as Interior Director instead.

Adore welcomed the decision, it said in a statement. Independent He had watched “the series of procedures with a heavy heart” and was committed to supporting the group.

“The court determined that Adore did not breach any of its duties as a management agency, and should not be allowed to attempt to break the exclusive contract by creating the appearance of a broken trust relationship. We express our deep gratitude for the court’s decision.

“For a period of approximately one year, courts have repeatedly ruled in various related lawsuits that the label holds management agency status under exclusive contract, and the artist must engage in entertainment activities with us.

“We sincerely hope that today’s decision, which comes after a long-term verification of various claims and facts and reaffirms prior decisions, will provide an opportunity for artists to calmly consider this matter.

“Adore is committed to re-emphasizing its role and responsibilities as Newgin’s management agency. As we said during the trial, we have completed preparations for, and are looking forward to, the artist’s activities, including the release of a studio album. We will do our best to return to fans through discussions with the artist.”

According to reports korea timesMin established a new entertainment agency on October 24, raising fans’ expectations that the Newzines members could be included if the court sided with him.

Newzeans’ additional claims that there was a breach of contract due to the leak of the trainee video to local media and alleged comments by a Haib official threatening Hanni were also dismissed. The court ruled that these incidents did not constitute legal grounds for termination.

Hybe, whose sub-labels manage several k popBiggest names including bts, seventeenAnd seraphimWas also acquitted of wrongdoing.

The court also rejected Min’s argument that her public campaign against Ador and HyeB was motivated by an effort to protect the group, saying: “It cannot be seen that Min Hee Jin’s actions were aimed at protecting the group.”

Haib also welcomed the decision, saying in a statement, “We sincerely hope that today’s outcome will be an opportunity for the artists to calmly reflect on this matter. We are also at this time to reaffirm our responsibilities as a management agency. As stated during the main trial, we have completed preparations for a full-length album and future activities. We will, in consultation with the artists, do our best to bring them back to their fans.”

Newzines, who became one of K-pop’s most popular acts after their 2022 debut, have won several domestic awards and achieved rare chart success for a rookie group.

Their refreshing 90s and early aughts aesthetic and sound made them popular not only in Korea, but internationally.

Their debut single “Attention” led them to almost immediate success and a sophomore EP. Rise Debuts 2023 by pushing Billboard 200 to No. 1 barbie Soundtrack.

In 2023, the group not only became the fastest K-pop act to reach one billion streams on Spotify, but also entered the Billboard Hot 100 five times with the singles “Super Shy”, “OMG”, “ETA”, “Ditto” and “Cool With You”.