The battle between K-Pop superstars NewJeans and HYBE-owned record label ADOR escalated on Friday (February 7) with NewJeans’ announcement that they’ve rebranded as NJZ.
The news follows the group’s appointment last month of law firm Shin & Kim LLC to represent them in their ongoing legal conflict with ADOR.
NewJeans members — Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein — had previously declared their intention to terminate their contracts with ADOR in November, following a fallout between HYBE and former ADOR CEO and NewJeans producer Min Hee-jin.
In December, ADOR filed a lawsuit in its home market of South Korea, asking the court to confirm the validity of its exclusive contract with the group.
ADOR also filed an injunction last month to prevent NewJeans from participating in promo or advertising opportunities without the label’s approval.
The public hearing for the preliminary injunction case is scheduled for March 7.
A HYBE spokesperson issued a statement to MBW in response to the news of NewJeans’ rebrand, insisting that, with legal proceedings still ongoing, the K-Pop stars are still legally signed to ADOR.
“While the legal proceedings concerning the exclusive contract between ADOR and the NewJeans members are ongoing, we deeply regret that the members have unilaterally made this choice [to announce a new stage name],” reads the statement from HYBE’s ADOR.
“We deeply regret that the members have unilaterally made this choice.”
HYBE spokesperson
The spokesperson added: “ADOR remains committed to protecting the value of the NewJeans brand.
“We are willing to meet with NewJeans members or their legal representatives at any time to clarify any misunderstandings and collaboratively plan for the group’s future activities.”
In a statement issued last month to announce the appointment of their legal representation, NewJeans alleged that, “HYBE and ADOR [had] failed to fulfill their duties as an agency to protect and nurture their artists.”
NewJeans also claimed that ADOR and HYBE failed to fulfill basic management duties and attempted to sideline the group under the guise of an “extended vacation.” They also accused the companies of orchestrating a negative media campaign against them.
“Even after the legal termination of our exclusive contract, groundless criticism poured in through the media and YouTube reaction channels, most of which contained information that could only have come from ADOR and HYBE. We cannot help but conclude that ADOR and HYBE are at the center of all these issues,” NewJeans said.
“Given that ADOR and HYBE have appointed Kim & Chang Law Firm as their representative, we felt the need for a law firm that could effectively counter this. We believe Shin & Kim LLC is the most suitable choice, as they already understand HYBE and ADOR’s wrongdoings and issues, which is crucial for responding to the rapidly proceeding injunction,” the group said in a statement issued to local media.
The dispute between ADOR and NewJeans arrived as part of a larger internal conflict involving former ADOR CEO and creative director Min Hee-jin.
HYBE previously accused Min, who founded NewJeans, of attempting to sell company shares and leaking confidential information.
HYBE, which owns 80% of ADOR, removed Min as CEO of the label in August 2024. When it removed Min, HYBE restructured ADOR, separating production and management functions, and offering Min the role of head producer. Min rejected the offer.
NewJeans members have since publicly alleged mistreatment by ADOR staff. During a September YouTube livestream, they claimed to have overheard instructions to ignore them.
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