NewJeans, recently rebranded as NJZ, is taking a temporary hiatus following a South Korean court ruling against them in their dispute with HYBE and its subsidiary, ADOR.
During their performance at ComplexCon in Hong Kong on March 23, the K-pop girl group announced that it might be their “last performance for a little while.”
Photo: NewJeans
Members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein took turns reading their official statement, emphasizing that they decided to halt all activities “out of respect” for the court’s decision.
“This stage means so much to us and every single one of you who gives us strength just by being here. It is really hard for us to say this, but this might be our last performance for a little while. Out of respect for the court’s decision, we’ve decided to pause all our activities for now. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we believe this is something we need to do at this moment,” the quintet said.
“Honestly, we’ve known from the start that this journey wasn’t going to be easy, and even though we accept the court’s ruling and this whole process, we had to speak up to protect the values that we believe in, and that was a choice that we don’t regret at all. We surely believe that standing up for our dignity, our rights and everything we deeply care about is something we had to do, and that belief will not change.”
NewJeans further noted that it is currently difficult for them to keep going, admitting that the situation is taking a mental and emotional toll. However, they reassured their fans, fondly called Bunnies, that they will continue to move forward.
“Right now, our hearts are a little bit worn out, and it feels a bit too hard to keep going at this pace. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to give up; we’re going to keep going. With this decision we’ve made, we’re respecting the court’s decision, and for now, it’s just us taking a step back to pause, take a breath, and gather our hearts and ourselves before moving forward,” they underscored.
NewJeans concluded their statement by expressing heartfelt gratitude to their fans for their unwavering support, stating, “To everybody who has been believing in us and supporting us through everything from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, and we love you so, so, so, so much, and we can’t express how grateful we are, and we promise, no matter what the circumstances we will meet again soon.”
Since August 2024, HYBE, ADOR, and NewJeans have been embroiled in a lengthy dispute, following allegations that HYBE forced out the group’s former producer and ADOR CEO, Min Hee-jin. This prompted NewJeans to announce its departure from the record label and rebrand as NJZ.
On March 21, the South Korean court ruled in favor of ADOR’s injunction request, prohibiting NewJeans from pursuing independent projects including signing advertising contracts without the label’s consent.
NewJeans debuted in 2022. Among their hits are OMG, Ditto, Hype Boy, Attention, and ETA.
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