Ador has terminated its exclusive contract with NewJeans member Danielle Marsh, casting fresh uncertainty over the future of one of South Korea’s most commercially successful acts.
NewJeans, one of the most popular K-pop groups, were composed of Minji, 21, Hanni, 21, Danielle, 20, Haerin, 19, and Hyein, 17. They were managed by Ador, a sublabel of Hybe, the South Korean multinational entertainment company behind popular K-pop groups like BTS, Le Sserafim, Seventeen, and Katseye.
The label said on Monday it had conducted “extensive conversations with Minji, Hanni, Danielle, and their families” according to The Chosun Daily.
“Hanni visited Korea with her family and engaged in lengthy, in-depth discussions with Ador. During this process, they revisited past events and objectively reviewed the issues. After sincere dialogue Hanni decided to continue with Ador, respecting the court’s ruling,” the label said.
Minji too was “currently in discussions with Ador” and they were “continuing efforts to broaden mutual understanding”.
In the case of Marsh, the label determined “it would be difficult for her to continue as a NewJeans member and Ador artist”.
“We notified her today of the termination of her exclusive contract,” Ador said in a statement.
Marsh’s termination came after months of acrimony between NewJeans and Ador, sparked by the group’s attempt last year to rebrand and go independent under the name NJZ.
The conflict dated back to April 2024, when Hybe accused the band’s former creative director and Ador’s former CEO Min Hee Jin of attempting to take Ador independent, triggering an internal audit and eventual dismissal.
In November, Ador announced that Haerin and Hyein had “decided to continue their activities” with the label. Hours after Ador’s statement, the remaining three members released their own statement. “After careful discussions, we have decided to return to Ador,” they said. “One of our members is currently in Antarctica, so the communication was delayed and since Ador has not yet responded, we had no choice but to share our position separately.”
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In a statement to The Independent on whether Minji, Hanni and Danielle were also returning to the label, Ador said at the time it was “checking” if they intended to.
The dispute escalated into litigation earlier this year, after a Seoul court issued an injunction barring the members from pursuing commercial activities outside their contracts with Ador.
The label said on Monday it would pursue legal action against Marsh, seeking penalty fees and damages, as well as against Min and a member of Marsh’s family “for causing this dispute, NewJeans’ departure, and significant delays in their return”.
According to the Korea Herald, the agency said any penalty would be calculated using formulas already set out in Marsh’s exclusive contract, rather than a newly negotiated claim.
Ador claimed it decided to terminate Marsh’s contract after she repeatedly breached it. The label alleged that these breaches included entering into arrangements that put her in conflict with her contract with Ador, participating in entertainment activities without authorisation, and actions that undermined the credibility or reputation of both the agency and NewJeans.
“Despite issuing formal requests for corrective action, the violations were not remedied within the given timeframe, prompting the contract termination,” the management label said. “Through discussions, we learned the members had long been exposed to distorted and biased information, leading to misunderstandings about the company and the dispute. Both the company and the artists agreed that, despite the time required, resolving misunderstandings based on accurate facts is necessary to restore the love of fans and the public.”
NewJeans debuted in 2022 and went on to win multiple domestic awards and achieve rare chart success for a rookie group.
Their fresh 1990s and early 2000s aesthetic and sound made them popular not just in Korea, but internationally.
Their debut single, titled “Attention”, catapulted them to near-instant fame while sophomore EP Get Up debuted at No 1 on Billboard 200 in 2023, pushing out the soundtrack of Barbie.
In 2023, the group not only became the fastest K-pop act to reach a billion streams on Spotify, but also entered the Billboard Hot 100 five times with the singles “Super Shy”, “OMG”, “ETA”, “Ditto”, and “Cool With You”.
