A concise comparison of past remarks with the court’s ruling in the case

Last week, a court ruled that NewJeans’ exclusive contract with the agency remains valid and did not fully accept the members’ claims. The ruling did not wholly endorse the statements put forward by the group’s members.

The court found, based on KakaoTalk conversations, that Min Hee-jin had pursued independence to detach NewJeans. It also noted that aspects such as a PR campaign featuring the group’s parents and signs of litigation preparation and investor outreach did not render HYBE’s audit unfair.

The court suggested that Min Hee-jin appeared to have used the word “ignore” first, and it concluded that the events had been exaggerated and reconstructed. Additionally, CCTV footage showing another girl group member greeting did not suffice to prove that Hani’s personal rights were violated.

The court also noted that a group’s concept is not included in the exclusive contract as a trademark or intellectual property. Even after this court decision, the members continued to refuse to rejoin the agency.