The agreement between the group NewJeans and the entertainment agency Adore, which is in an exclusive contract dispute, has fallen through.
On the morning of the 4th, at 11:10 AM, the 41st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Jeong Hoe-il) held the second hearing for the lawsuit filed by Adore against the members of NewJeans to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. The members of NewJeans did not attend.
On this day, the court asked both sides again if there was a possibility of agreement or mediation following the first hearing.
During the trial held in March, the representative of Adore (the plaintiff) responded to the court's question, "Is there no intention to reach an agreement from both sides?" by saying, "We hope to reach an agreement." In contrast, the representative of NewJeans (the defendant) stated, "Given the current mental state of the defendants, it does not seem like a situation where an agreement can be considered," indicating that no agreement was reached.
In response to the court's comment, "Last time, the defendants said they had no intention of reaching an agreement, which is very disappointing, so I would like to encourage you," the Adore side replied, "If the court reaches a conclusion, we believe an agreement can be easily reached."
When asked the same question, the defendant's side stated, "We will have to discuss it with our client again, but the trust relationship has already irreparably broken down. We believe we have crossed the river of no return," clearly expressing their intention not to work with Adore.
NewJeans and Adore have been in an exclusive contract dispute since November of last year. At that time, NewJeans held an emergency press conference to notify Adore of the termination of their exclusive contract and announced that they would begin independent activities under the new name NJZ.
In response, Adore stated, "Claiming that trust has been unilaterally broken does not constitute grounds for termination," and on December 3 of last year, filed a lawsuit against NewJeans in court to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. On January 6, they also applied for a provisional injunction to prevent the preservation of the agency's status and the signing of advertising contracts.
On March 21, the court accepted Adore's application for a provisional injunction to preserve the agency's status and prevent the signing of advertising contracts, ruling that NewJeans should not engage in independent activities.
Nevertheless, the members took the stage at a concert in Hong Kong under the name NJZ, and Adore retaliated with an indirect enforcement application.
Indirect enforcement is a method of civil execution that orders the debtor to pay a certain amount based on the delayed period if they do not comply with the court's decision. It is a way to psychologically compel the debtor to fulfill their obligations.
On May 29, the court accepted the indirect enforcement application, ruling that NewJeans should not engage in entertainment activities without prior approval or consent from Adore until the first-instance judgment of the exclusive contract is made. It also decided that if they violated this obligation and engaged in independent activities, each member would have to pay Adore 1 billion won for each violation.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
