K-pop group NewJeans halts activities, citing mental and emotional strain from ongoing lawsuit.
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K-pop sensation NewJeans, now rechristened as NJZ, rocked Hong Kong with a sold-out show and premiered a new tune - just days after a South Korean court upheld an injunction barring them from engaging in independent musical or commercial pursuits.
However, the band's members left their 11,000-strong crowd at ComplexCon Hong Kong festival stunned, announcing they're taking a break out of respect for the temporary ruling.
On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court backed record company Ador in its contentious legal battle with NJZ, stating their attempt to renaming themselves and break free from the label could "seriously harm" the latter's reputation.
Speaking on stage, band member Pham Ngoc Han, known as Hanni, revealed the group's decision to "pause all activities... wasn't easy." Hanni explained, "We believe this is something we need to do."
As the band delivered handcrafted messages on slips of paper, each member addressed their adoring fans, or 'bunnies,' in both Korean and English. Audible disappointment filled Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Expo, where the band made its first post-rebrand performance last month.
Speaking on stage, Danni, another member, said, "As strong as we are trying to stay, it is honestly taking a bit of a mental and emotional toll on us."
NJZ has repeatedly claimed their contract with Ador is void, amid accusations of mistreatment. The band members have leveled charges of "manipulation," "deliberate miscommunications," and workplace harassment against the label.
Ador, a subsidiary of Hybe - the entertainment powerhouse behind K-pop acts such as BTS - has contested these allegations, telling CNN via email that most of NJZ's claims "have arisen from misunderstandings." The lawsuit filed by Ador is set to be heard in full on April 3.
In a conciliatory statement, shared with CNN ahead of the Hong Kong show, Ador expressed support for the performance - contingent upon it taking place under the name NewJeans, not NJZ. The group approached the matter carefully, with neither moniker appearing on screens flanking the stage, despite other festival acts being explicitly named.
Some of the band's members donned tights emblazoned with "Chapter NJZ." A booth on festival grounds peddled merchandise bearing the NJZ name, such as plushie keychains, hats, and T-shirts, with some determined fans queuing for hours to purchase the merchandise.
Danni addressed the issue on stage, stating, "No matter what our name is, no matter what kind of tough time we've been through, I feel like to be able to share a moment like this with everyone, is what we live for."
During the event, the band seemed to avoid playing songs from their back catalog, with each member performing solo covers of other artists before coming together to debut a new song, "Pit Stop."
On social media, the hashtag referencing NJZ's "re-debut" had amassed over 50,000 posts within hours of the show. Fans at AsiaWorld-Arena showed their support for the band and expressed disappointment over the planned hiatus.
Fan Soie So, age 25, shared her sentiments: "I hope they can keep staying strong, fight this battle well. We know this is going to be hard to win. To be honest, at that moment (when the band announced a pause on activities) I just felt very touched. I thought they're very brave."
Despite fans' backing, Friday's ruling deals a significant blow to NJZ, according to legal experts knowledgeable about the case. As Sangrock Kho, a lawyer at South Korea's Law Firm Pil, explained to CNN, "The court's decision to uphold the injunction suggests NewJeans' legal case is either extremely weak or virtually nonexistent."
"Under the Korean judicial system, in cases like this where an agency files an injunction to suspend an artist's activities, the proceedings are generally very favorable to the artist," Kho noted. "Given that, the fact that the court has nevertheless issued this type of injunction suggests that, after reviewing all the claims, evidence, and extensive presentation materials, the court concluded that NewJeans' argument - that the breakdown in trust was entirely caused by Hybe and Ador - lacks sufficient legal basis."
NewJeans emerged as South Korea's most successful pop acts after briefly dominating the nation's charts with their debut single "Attention" in 2022. The band achieved international acclaim faster than a year later with EP "Get Up" (including the crossover hit "Super Shy"), which soared to number 1 on the US Billboard 200.
CNN's Oscar Holland and Gawon Bae contributed to this story.
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About the Band and the Dispute
K-pop sensation NewJeans (now NJZ) consists of five members: Minnie, Danielle Marsh (Danni), Hyein, Hyeonchang, and Han. Their debut single "Attention," released in 2022, gained immense popularity in South Korea, and they eventually achieved international fame with the 2023 EP "Get Up," featuring the hit "Super Shy."
The band's legal dispute with record company Ador, a subsidiary of Hybe, began in August 2024 when NJZ claimed that Ador breached their exclusive management contract, prompting Ador to file a lawsuit. The case revolves around allegations of mistreatment, manipulation, and failure to fulfill contractual obligations, among other claims made by the band members.
The outcome of the dispute not only affects NJZ's future but could also set a precedent for other K-pop artists seeking to challenge their contractual agreements in the highly competitive and demanding K-pop industry.
- Hanni, a member of NJZ (formerly known as NewJeans), mentioned the difficulty in deciding to pause their activities as a result of the temporary legal ruling against them.
- Danni, another NJZ member, discussed the mental and emotional toll the disputed legal battle with their record company Ador is having on the band.
- In response to criticism that NJZ's contract with Ador is void, Dori, a lawyer at South Korea's Law Firm Pil, noted that the court's decision to uphold the injunction suggesting NewJeans' legal case might be weak or nonexistent.
