NewJeans vs ADOR 1st hearing: Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein consider former CEO Min Hee Jin part of the team: ‘We would lose…’

NJZ members got emotional as they opened up about their bond with former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. Read to know what they said.

By Peuli Bakshi

Updated on Mar 08, 2025 | 01:36 PM IST | 277.6K

NewJeans: courtesy of NewJeans' X

NJZ (formerly NewJeans) legally faced off with ADOR for the first time over their exclusive contract validity dispute on March 7. At the end of the court trial in the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, the judge asked the NJZ members if they had anything to say and Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein took this opportunity to express their sadness at being forced to part ways with ADOR's former CEO, Min Hee Jin, as reported by K-media Maeil Business Newspaper.

According to Danielle, despite being a quintet, NJZ regarded Min Hee Jin as one among their "team of six." She said, "I was afraid that we would lose the CEO as she was attacked and ridiculous articles poured out." She expressed her desire to continue working with the former employee of the entertainment label. She also emphasized the members being sensitive to each other's physical and mental issues. Haerin's words were also on similar lines, like Danielle.

She mentioned the girl group having a good work experience with Min Hee Jin and that she failed to understand what made ADOR take the decision of separating them. As per her, it was the former CEO that helped her achieve a successful career, and it was "too painful" for them to work with HYBE (80% stakeholder of ADOR) as "trust and faith have been lost" from the group's side. They decided to terminate their contact with ADOR because they were allegedly being mistreated and ignored by the HYBE officials.

Regarding that, Haerin said, "I felt helpless when I saw Adore not taking any action against HYBE and other labels that were lowering our performance and ruining our image." The group's youngest Hyein added on to what her two teammates said. She mentioned that Min Hee Jin "always respected the five of us" and alleged that people of HYBE "ignored our opinions."

She expressed her frustration, stating that when they tried to speak out against injustices and seek solutions, they were shut down. She emphasized that it's unacceptable to present "insincere work" to the public while concealing the truth about CEO Min Hee Jin.