All members announce return amid contract dispute resolution; stock volatility follows

All members of the girl group NewJeans have returned to Adore, marking the end of a dispute over their contracts that began more than a year ago. The move, interpreted as a restoration of trust, has coincided with a rally in Adore’s parent company Hybe’s stock.

Hybe finished regular trading up 1.93 percent at 291,000 won, before surging about 8.93 percent in after-hours trading. As of 10:10 a.m. on the following day, Hybe was up 4.64 percent from the previous close, trading at 304,500 won.

On December 12, Adore announced that members Haerin and Hyein would continue activities. It added that the two had discussed with Adore and decided to respect the court ruling and comply with their contracts.

Subsequently, Minnji, Hani, and Daniel also expressed their intent to return to the agency. They said one member was currently in Antarctica, which delayed communication, but they would continue to connect with Adore in the future with sincere music. Haerin and Haerin publicly announced their return to Adore, while Minnji, Hani, and Daniel indicated they would pursue future collaboration with Adore independently. Adore responded that it was verifying the sincerity of all three members’ return intentions.

The court ruling that Adore’s contract must be upheld is seen as underpinning NewJeans’ decision to return. On the ruling date, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Affairs Division affirmed Adore’s victory in the contract validity suit filed by Adore against all five NewJeans members.

The court also rejected the claim that former Adore CEO Min Heejin’s dismissal violated the contract, noting that the contract did not require Min Heejin to head Adore and that she could participate as an outside director in production matters. The group’s members were said to have initially planned to appeal, but ultimately respected the court ruling.

With the Adore affair entering a concluding phase, NewJeans could begin full-scale musical activities as early as the latter half of next year. Meritz Securities analyst Kim Min-Young projected that album sales could reach 900,000 copies and overseas and domestic shows could number 2–3, potentially contributing 6–7 billion won to next year’s operating profit.