NEWJEANS
As a conciliation session regarding the exclusive contract dispute between NEWJEANS and its agency ADOR takes place today (August 14), two members of the group appeared in court to speak.
DANIELLE and MINJI, members of NEWJEANS, attended the conciliation hearing on August 14 at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, as part of the lawsuit filed by ADOR seeking recognition of the validity of the exclusive contract binding NEWJEANS to the agency.
According to court sources, two of the group’s five members (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein) were present at the conciliation session held this afternoon by the 41st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding Judge Jeong Hoe-il).
In practice, MINJI and DANIELLE arrived at the courthouse around 1:40 p.m. When approached by reporters, they simply said, “We are sorry,” before entering the building quietly. The conciliation hearing is being held behind closed doors.
The court is attempting to directly reconcile the positions of both parties. If no agreement is reached during this conciliation, judgment will be rendered in October.
On July 24, the court held the third pleading session in the lawsuit filed by ADOR. The agency argued that the reasons given for terminating the exclusive contract were unfounded, while NEWJEANS maintained that the trust relationship between ADOR and the members had been irreparably broken, which in itself constituted grounds for termination.
During the session, ADOR’s lawyer stated:
“The essence of this case is that after becoming famous, the trainees changed their minds. HYBE invested 21 billion won (approx. €14 million) for the defendants. Ultimately, they want the agency to bear the risk of failure while taking all the rewards of success for themselves. That is the essence of their request to terminate the exclusive contract.”
He added:
“The main obligations under the exclusive contract are to provide artistic opportunities and manage revenues. However, the defendants have become global stars and each earned more than 5 billion won (approx. €3.3 million) in revenue. The trust underlying the contract is not that between friends or lovers, but that between business partners. That trust has not been destroyed.”
NEWJEANS’ side responded:
“The current ADOR agency is no longer the one we knew in the past. After removing Min Hee Jin for a ‘takeover of management’ and replacing leadership with HYBE executives, the ADOR we trusted and relied upon when signing the contract no longer exists. Throughout this process, the defendants have not only lost all trust in the plaintiff but now fear them. Just seeing the agency’s headquarters makes their hearts race.”
If no conciliation is reached today, the judgment is scheduled for October 30 at 9:50 a.m. KST.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Korean Media
