ADOR initiates a lawsuit against Daniel and Min Hee-jin for damages related to NewJeans' departure, seeking approximately 43 billion won.
March/26/2026 18:11
ADOR, the agency of NewJeans, maintained a principled and resolute stance at the initial preparatory hearing for the damage compensation lawsuit against Daniel and former representative Min Hee-jin regarding the NewJeans departure controversy. Today (26th), the Seoul Central District Court Civil Agreement Division 31 (Chief Judge Nam In-soo) conducted the initial preparatory hearing for the damage compensation lawsuit filed by ADOR against Daniel, his family, and former representative Min Hee-jin. Previously, in December of last year, ADOR notified Daniel of the termination of his exclusive contract, viewing Daniel and one of his family members, as well as Min Hee-jin, as having significant responsibility for the situation that led to NewJeans' departure and delayed return, and filed a lawsuit seeking approximately 43.1 billion won (about 4.3 billion yen) in damages. Daniel's legal representative expressed a desire for the trial to proceed quickly, arguing that prolonged litigation could cause irreparable harm to idols, wasting their most shining moments as artists. In response, ADOR emphasized that this is a normal procedure and stated, 'I do not think it is late that a date was set three months after the acceptance of the complaint. I hope it proceeds as a routine trial.' Furthermore, ADOR explained concerns about the potential leakage of case-related content and stated that they are proceeding with other procedures. ADOR also rebutted, 'This case is a lawsuit for damages and penalty claims, and the outcome will not affect Daniel's entertainment activities,' clearly delineating that this lawsuit is merely a legal procedure questioning the financial responsibility for the enormous damages suffered by the company due to breach of exclusive contract and unilateral departure, and is not intended to hinder the artist's activities. Additionally, the court inquired about the possibility of reconciliation from both sides, and ADOR stated, 'We do not see it as completely impossible,' leaving room for amicable resolution through dialogue. The court requested that both sides organize overseas precedents related to tampering (the act of contacting another agency before the contract period expires) and conveyed that it would be desirable to proceed with the possibility of mediation, designating the next hearing dates as May 14 and July 2.
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