The Seoul Central District Court has issued a ruling restricting NewJeans from engaging in entertainment activities without ADOR's consent, marking a major legal turn in the ongoing dispute between the group and its agency.

⚖️ Court enforces ADOR's request — ₩1 billion per activity

On May 29, the court sided with ADOR, granting an indirect compulsory order (간접강제) to prevent NewJeans from acting independently. According to the ruling, the group must not participate in any entertainment activities—such as performances, music releases, or commercial endorsements—without ADOR's approval.

For each violation, ₩1 billion KRW (approx. $730,000 USD) will be imposed per member, per activity. If all five members violate this order, the penalty could total ₩5 billion KRW (approx. $3.6 million USD) per incident.

🎤 Hong Kong concert cited as breach of previous injunction

This decision follows NewJeans' recent Hong Kong performance as "NJZ", where they performed and released new songs without ADOR's consent. The court viewed this as a clear violation of the earlier injunction, leading to the harsher legal measure.

🧾 Why this matters

While the main lawsuit to determine the validity of NewJeans' exclusive contract with ADOR is still underway, this ruling effectively halts any solo or third-party promotional activity by the members until a final judgment is reached.

📅 Next court hearing: June 5

The second hearing in the lawsuit confirming the validity of their exclusive contract is scheduled for June 5.

[Photo Credit: Dispatch DB]