NewJeans fans from 36 different countries have united in front of a Korean court. After a massive damage lawsuit was filed against member Danielle, 12,357 global fans submitted a joint petition to the court.
According to reports, the petition was submitted in March, just before the first hearing of a 43.1 billion KRW damage lawsuit filed by ADOR against former member Danielle and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (now CEO of OK Records). The Seoul Central District Court held the first hearing on the 14th. Although ADOR recently appointed Law Firm Leehan as their new legal representative and requested a date change on the 8th, the court denied the request and proceeded with the hearing. Neither Danielle nor Min attended the court that day.
This legal battle began in December last year when ADOR notified Danielle of her contract termination. ADOR claimed that Danielle and her family caused the conflict and violated the exclusive contract, seeking a total of 43.1 billion KRW in damages, including penalties. During a preparatory hearing in March, tensions flared. Danielle’s side requested a speedy trial, claiming ADOR was intentionally delaying the process by expanding the scope of defendants and requesting extensions. ADOR maintained that the issues are complex and require review time, denying any intent to delay.
The petition, signed by 12,357 fans from 36 countries including Korea, the US, Japan, China, the UK, Germany, the Philippines, and Indonesia, criticizes the termination of Danielle’s contract on four main points: violation of the principle of good faith, the virtual disbandment of the group, abuse of power by a major agency, and the immense emotional toll on the artist. Led by the fandom “Bunnies,” they stated, “This lawsuit goes beyond a personal dispute and is an issue that will affect the power structure of the K-pop industry itself.”
The most critical point in the petition is ADOR’s “reversal of position.” In a previous lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract, ADOR repeatedly told the court that “the relationship of trust is still maintained” and that they were “preparing follow-up activities such as a full-length album and a world tour,” requesting the members’ return. Based on this, all five NewJeans members decided to return to ADOR on November 12 last year. However, less than two months later, on December 29, ADOR abruptly notified Danielle of her contract termination and filed a massive damage lawsuit. Petitioners pointed out that “terminating the contract by targeting only Danielle without a justifiable reason is a direct violation of the principle of good faith.”
The petition also highlighted Danielle’s importance within the group. Danielle is a key member who participated as a lyricist for major tracks including the debut song “Attention,” as well as “Super Shy,” “ASAP,” “Cool With You,” and “How Sweet.” Petitioners argued that “a K-pop group is the result of an emotional bond with fans before it is a company’s intellectual property (IP).” They specifically criticized ADOR for removing member names from the official Spotify profile and using images without member photos when announcing the 500 million streaming milestone for “New Jeans.” The hashtag #NEWJEANSISFIVE has been spreading among fans, calling for the maintenance of the five-member system.
Petitioners viewed this case as an example of abuse of power within the K-pop industry. They criticized ADOR for previously claiming NewJeans were artists essential to the company’s survival, only to now take actions that shake the group’s future. The petition stated, “It is an abuse of rights, contrary to common sense and legal principles, for ADOR to unilaterally terminate the contract, stop Danielle’s activities, and then claim the equivalent of revenue for the remaining contract period as a penalty. If such behavior is tolerated, no artist will be able to resist the unfair demands of giant capital.”
The petition also pleaded that the longer the trial lasts, the more irreparable the loss to the artist becomes. Petitioners urged for a swift and fair judgment, stating, “While the trial period may be simple elapsed time for a giant corporation, for an individual artist, it is a critical time during which a lifelong career can collapse.”
Among the NewJeans members other than Danielle, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have already returned to ADOR, and Minji is reportedly in positive discussions regarding reuniting with ADOR. Effectively, only Danielle’s status remains undecided.
