Members of girl group NewJeans attempted to pursue independent entertainment activities amid conflict with their agency Adore, but a court decision has once again put the brakes on them.

Seoul High Court Civil Division 25-2(Presiding Judges Hwang Byeong-ha, Jeong Jong-gwan, and Lee Gyun-yong)dismissed the appeal against the injunction filed by five members of New Jeans on the 17th.This decision follows the first trial court’s decision to accept Adore’s injunction application in its entirety.

Last March, Adore filed an injunction against New Jeans to “preserve the agency’s status and prohibit the signing of advertising contracts,” and the 50th Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court(Chief Judge Kim Sang-hoon)accepted all of the requests.Accordingly, the New Jeans members are no longer able to engage in entertainment activities on an individual basis without Adore’s prior approval or consent.

New Jeans immediately filed an objection, but the court dismissed it in April, stating that “the existing injunction decision was justified.” They appealed the decision, but the high court did not accept it.With this dismissal, New Jeans ‘independent activities remain legally prohibited.

The court stated, “Adore has the status of a management company according to the exclusive contract,” and “New Jeans members are prohibited from activities through third parties without Adore’s prior approval.” This includes all commercial activities, including musical activities such as writing lyrics, composing, performing, and singing, as well as broadcast appearances, advertising contract negotiations, and appearances.

The conflict between New Jeans and Adore began in earnest in November of last year.The New Jeans members held an emergency press conference and demanded that Adore take corrective action, but it was not accepted, and they declared the termination of their exclusive contract.They clearly stated that “the contract will be terminated as of midnight on November 29, 2024,” and made it clear that they intend to pursue independent activities.

However, Adore argued that “the contract is valid,” and filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract with the Seoul Central District Court in December of last year.A month later, he also filed an injunction requesting “a ban on independent activities until the verdict is reached,” and the court accepted it.

New Jeans appealed, denying Adore’s status as a planning agency, but the court sided with Adore.With the high court’s decision to dismiss, the exclusive contract dispute will once again focus on the main lawsuit.The first trial of the main lawsuit to determine the validity of the exclusive contract is still ongoing.


Reporter Yang com -mo hmyang0307@donga

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