NewJeans has officially dropped their final appeal, confirming the court's decision to ban the group from pursuing independent activities outside their agency.

The group had until June 24 to file a reappeal against the court's injunction banning them from signing advertising deals and conducting activities outside of ADOR. However, they chose not to submit a reappeal request.

📌 Court Upholds Ban on Solo Promotions

On June 17, the Seoul High Court dismissed NewJeans' appeal, stating that "a subjective claim alone is not enough to terminate a valid contract." The result: the injunction stands.

The court clarified that while the exclusive contract remains valid, the group cannot act independently.

"If NewJeans proceeds with unauthorized activities, they may benefit exclusively from the results, while ADOR would suffer severe losses from the investments it made."

📎 HYBE, Not Min Hee-jin, Holds the Contractual Power

The court also emphasized that Min Hee-jin is not the core of the exclusive agreement.

"HYBE recognized the potential of NewJeans, established ADOR, and invested 21 billion KRW. The core contractual entity is HYBE, not Min Hee-jin."

The court even acknowledged that Min Hee-jin had planned a departure from HYBE,

"She attempted to leave with NewJeans and pressured HYBE to sell its shares. Her dismissal was a consequence of her own actions."

🚫 Claims of Mistreatment Not Accepted

The court dismissed Hanni's claims of being ignored by other artists or staff:

"CCTV footage showed greetings being exchanged. There's no evidence that ILLIT intentionally ignored Hanni or that a manager told them to 'ignore her.'"

💸 10 Billion KRW Penalty for Unauthorized Activity

The court also approved ADOR's request for indirect enforcement. If any member of NewJeans proceeds with activities without ADOR's consent, the group must pay 10 billion KRW per member to the agency.

NewJeans first attempted to terminate their contract in November 2023, but the battle has remained in the courtroom. With the injunction case closed, the main lawsuit regarding the contract's validity is still ongoing.

📅 The next court hearing is scheduled for July 24.