Hybe label Ador completes track demos for NewJeans’ new album, submits to court as evidence

SEOUL – Ador, the music label under South Korean entertainment giant Hybe and home to NewJeans, has completed several demos for the K-pop girl group’s next album and submitted the list of tracks to the Seoul Central District Court as evidence of its continued management responsibilities.

According to a legal source, Ador submitted the list to the court in July. The list is believed to contain more than five demos, as it pertains to a full-length album.

During a trial session that month, the presiding judges asked whether the list included new songs, to which Ador’s legal representatives confirmed that it did. The submission was intended to demonstrate that the label has been fulfilling its duties as NewJeans’ management company amid the ongoing legal dispute with the five-member act.

The submitted tracks are in MR form, meaning the instrumental tracks have been completed, but no member vocals have been recorded.

In a press statement released on Oct 30, Ador said: “As we have stated during the trial, we have completed preparations for NewJeans’ official album release and are waiting to resume their activities.”

Although the kind of music Ador has produced for the group remains unknown, it is confirmed that Beasts And Natives Alike (Bana) – the creative collective behind NewJeans’ previous hit songs such as Attention (2022), Hype Boy (2022), OMG (2023) and Ditto (2022) – appears not to have participated in the new material.

Bana – founded by Kim Ki-hyun, a long-time friend of former Ador chief executive Min Hee-jin – was rumoured to be attempting to bring NewJeans under its management in February, when the group announced

their departure from Ador,

though that speculation later proved false.

The

conflict between NewJeans and Ador

began in November 2024, when the group unilaterally announced the termination of their exclusive contract, citing a management and production vacuum following Ms Min’s dismissal as Ador’s CEO in August that year.

NewJeans argued that their contract was built on trust in Ms Min and that her removal constituted a serious breach of Ador’s contractual obligations.

But the Seoul court ruled on Oct 30 that NewJeans must maintain their exclusive contract with Ador, stating that Ms Min’s dismissal alone did not justify contract termination. The court said it found no managerial vacuum that prevented Ador from carrying out its duties, adding that “the members’ trust in Min Hee-jin alone cannot be considered a fundamental contractual obligation”.

Following the ruling, NewJeans announced through their legal representative, law firm Sejong, that they respect the court’s decision but plan to immediately appeal, saying “the relationship of trust with Ador has been completely destroyed”, making it “impossible to return and continue normal activities under the company”. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK