What the contracts reportedly removed
NewJeans signed binding contracts with the label Ador that gave up their entitlement to sleep, rest and free choice, according to a New York Times report. The members were between 14 and 17 years old when they put their names to the paperwork. The agreements also barred them from showing what the label called an insincere attitude and from entering inappropriate romantic relationships, while deleting standard child-protection wording that safeguarded basic human rights such as access to education.[S1][S2]
The same documents dropped parts of the Korean government's model K-pop contract. Those omitted lines would have stopped the company from requiring a minor performer to take part in excessive physical exposure or overly sexually suggestive expression. Government language forbidding work over excessive periods of time was also struck out, and the contract required the group to cover a substantial share of plastic surgery costs, a procedure common in the industry.[S1]
Perpetual rights and AI clones
Under the terms described, Ador secured the right to use each member's name, photographs, likeness, handwriting, voice and other elements indefinitely. That goes beyond government guidance, which recommends such rights lapse when a contract ends. The clause reportedly extends to using the NewJeans members as AI chatbots or clones. Hybe, Ador's parent company, told the New York Times that its contracts are lawful, were negotiated in good faith and include protections for both the artist and the company's investment. It said it does not recommend cosmetic procedures against anyone's wishes and follows child-protection law.[S1]
Training camps and a 2am schedule
By the time they signed, the five members — Minji, Hanni, Haerin, Hyein and Danielle — had already trained for years in K-pop programmes that covered singing, dance and foreign languages. According to one account, the routine was punishing, with rehearsals often lasting past 2am; Hyein, the youngest, was only 12 then. When the exclusive agreements were presented in January 2022, one member's parents requested a number of amendments and were reportedly told that if the contract was not accepted as drafted, it could itself be revisited.[S1]
A dispute over trust and damages
NewJeans became one of the decade's defining K-pop acts, following Blackpink in 2023 as the second Korean girl group to top the Billboard album chart. In November 2024 the group said it would leave Ador amid contract disputes and allegations that the label had deliberately undermined its career. Hanni told South Korea's parliament that the members had been mistreated and accused Ador of deliberate miscommunication and manipulation. Ador has denied breaching its duties, arguing that a one-sided claim of broken trust is not valid grounds for ending a contract, and in December 2025 it sued Danielle, a member of her family and the group's producer for close to $30m in damages and a contract break penalty. Hybe says exit penalties stay within industry norms. The group had promised 2026 would be a NewJeans summer, teasing four members without Danielle, but no new music has appeared.[S1]
