K-pop group NewJeans recently responded to ADOR's lawsuit seeking to uphold the validity of their exclusive contract. The group strongly criticized ADOR 's actions as "irrational and inhumane" given the deterioration of trust and contractual violations.

In a statement released on December 6, NewJeans members Minji , Hanni , Danielle , Haerin , and Hyein expressed their dismay: "Forcing us to work an additional five years despite our collapsed trust and ADOR 's breaches of contract is not only unreasonable, but also inhumane."

They further argued that ADOR failed to prove the absence of contractual violations, repeatedly insisting that the contract cannot be terminated until the initial investments are recovered. "We have already returned profits greater than the initial investment to ADOR and HYBE ," the NewJeans members claimed.

NewJeans also accused HYBE of attempting to harm their value through malicious activities and reverse marketing, with ADOR allegedly enabling such actions under new management. “It’s as if the company that is supposed to protect us is generating its own negative comments,” they said.

According to NewJeans , the exclusive contract states that if ADOR fails to fulfill its contractual obligations, the contract can be terminated. “As the exclusive contract states, there is no longer any reason to work with ADOR and HYBE ,” they stressed.

The group said: “As of November 29, 2024, we are no longer affiliated with ADOR . ADOR can no longer interfere or intervene in our activities.”

Previously, on November 13, NewJeans had sent a notice to ADOR , demanding the correction of contractual violations, including the return of former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin , within 14 days or the contract termination would be effected.

On November 28, the group held an emergency press conference at 8:30 p.m., stating, "NewJeans is an artist under ADOR , and ADOR has an obligation to protect NewJeans. However, ADOR has neither the will nor the ability to protect us." They officially announced the termination of their contract effective November 29.

On December 3, ADOR filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. ADOR explained, “We made this unavoidable decision to clarify to the artist and various stakeholders that an exclusive contract cannot be terminated lightly based on unilateral claims.”