Daniel from NewJeans donates 300 million won to support children in need, amid ongoing legal disputes with ADOR.
January/16/2026 12:03
It has become clear that Daniel from NewJeans has performed a good deed by donating 300 million won (approximately 32,253,555 yen). On the 9th, the non-profit organization Yana communicated through their official Instagram, "Thank you to all the donors and volunteers who have walked with us. For the past four years, Yana has continued to protect children in need thanks to your trust and sharing," and released a list of donors. According to this, Daniel, under his real name Mash Daniel, donated 320 million won (approximately 32,450,000 yen) to Yana. Actor Cha In-pyo and Shin Ae-ra donated 576,130,000 won (approximately 61,904,864 yen). Yana is a non-profit organization that supports socially vulnerable groups, including children in welfare facilities, single-parent families, and youth preparing for independence. Daniel, along with the members of NewJeans, held an emergency press conference on November 29, 2024, declaring that their trust in ADOR has completely collapsed, and they can no longer continue their activities as artists under ADOR. He claimed that the exclusive contract with ADOR would be terminated following the press conference. In response, ADOR sought confirmation that the exclusive contract with the members was still valid and filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. The first-instance court ruled in favor of ADOR, determining that there were no grounds for the exclusive contract between ADOR and NewJeans to be terminated. The ruling explicitly stated that all six claims from NewJeans were difficult to recognize as facts. The members of NewJeans ultimately did not appeal the first-instance loss. Heerin and Haein announced their intention to return through ADOR after sufficient discussions on November 12 of last year. Subsequently, Hani confirmed her return to ADOR on December 29, while Minji is still in discussions with ADOR. On December 29, ADOR announced the termination of the exclusive contract with Daniel. Additionally, they filed a lawsuit against Daniel and others for breach of contract and damages totaling 43.1 billion won (approximately 4.631 billion yen). ADOR stated, "As legal proceedings are expected to proceed in the future, it is difficult to specifically mention the reasons for the termination of the exclusive contract, but violations of the exclusive contract occurred, such as entering into contracts that conflict with this exclusive contract, independent activities, and actions that damage the honor and credibility of our company and NewJeans, and we sought correction, but it was not corrected within the deadline, so we notified the termination." Afterward, Daniel spoke about his feelings for the first time since receiving the notice of termination of the exclusive contract from ADOR through a live stream on January 12. She said, "Right now, many situations are still in the process of being organized," and added, "When the time comes, I will surely tell you everything you are curious about, including what is happening and the lawsuit." Furthermore, she stated, "Because I was with the members, I fought until the end," and added, "In a corner of my heart, NewJeans is always there. Even if we are in slightly different places, let’s be together with the same feelings as one Bunnies (the name of NewJeans' fans)."
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